


Roommates

by CHAEXNNIE



Category: BLACKPINK (Band)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Love Triangles, Love squares, and they were ROOMMATES, and when i say slowburn i mean SLOW, chaeyoung doesn't realise she's in love til chapter 25, jennie is so soft for chaeyoung, oh my god they were roommates, slowburn!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2020-12-07 18:36:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 71,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20980511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CHAEXNNIE/pseuds/CHAEXNNIE
Summary: Park Chaeyoung was just another aspiring writer, trying her hardest to get published. Despite so many attempts, she still finds herself scrounging for money on a daily basis, struggling to accept her parents' help. When she buys a one-way ticket to South Korea on a whim of getting inspiration, she finds it in the form of Jennie Kim- her mysterious, new roommate that is unreasonably cold to Chaeyoung- and Lisa Manoban- a girl with more secrets than she's worth.





	1. OH MY GOD!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I'm happy to finally publish this on ao3. I'm new to the site, so please forgive me if it's not laid out the best or if i make some other stupid mistake. And wow, you really see how short your writing is when you preview a chapter. This won't always be this way: I just wrote this when I was really tired, unfortunately. Other than that, enjoy!

The traffic blared into the dark midnight sky as cars shot through the streets, leaving nothing more than a blur and a picture of their license plate on a speeding camera in their memory. Amongst it all there was a girl sat on a doorstep, her legs spread across the other steps, with hair the colour of the night sky and a phone in her hand.

She scrolled carelessly through instagram, liking the odd post or two every now and then, whilst using her free hand to take small bites of a corn dog she had bought at the street vendor that once stood across the road.

Not many people were walking by now, courtesy of the pitch black sky and very few street lamps, which was why she took the time to look up from her phone when she heard a voice growing progressively louder.

There was a blonde woman walking down the street, carelessly chatting on the phone with (what she assumed) a friend. As she grew closer, the woman sat on the steps was finally able to hear what the blonde had been saying,"And they were roommates!" The blonde exclaimed, swiftly walking past the ravenette on the steps.

"Oh my God they were roommates."

She payed no attention to when the stranger turned back to her and gave her a sharp look, probably having heard her mockery.

\-----

A woman with pink hair rushed down the street, cursing herself for forgetting her umbrella. The heavy rain poured from the sky, completely soaking her and probably everyone in Seoul. She ducked and weaved past people, trying her hardest not to hit anyone with the pink suitcase she'd spent the last day or so with, as her brown eyes scanned the door numbers.

She knew she was on the right side of the road, so where on Earth was number 808? All the house doors were coloured the exact same dull grey colour so the woman was relying on her dodgy eyesight to spot where exactly she'd be spending the next year or so.

After what seemed like hours of searching, the girl finally spotted the numbers 808 engraved on a chipped door. Wasting no time to get out the rain, the pink haired girl knocked twice on the door. Not even a minute later and she was greeted by a short woman with wavy chocolate hair and stern, feline-like eyes,"If you're some cold caller I'm not interested."

"No, I'm Park Chaeyoung." The pink haired girl, Chaeyoung, clarified, hoping the woman would accept her answer and let her straight in. She nearly groaned when the brunette could only twist her head, most likely in confusion, and gesture for her to elaborate,"I'm your new roommate? I called the landlady in advance and she told me she'd let you know I was arriving today."

The woman let out the groan that Chaeyoung had been holding back before stepping aside,"I'm lucky if she even tells me when the rent is due, nevermind when I get a new roommate. Come in, I'll get you a towel."

Chaeyoung stepped inside the house without hesitation, slamming the door shut behind her,"You have a lovely house." She was sure she heard her new roommate scoff, but then again, she couldn't be certain.

The brunette returned with a grey towel (these people really love grey, huh?) and threw it at Chaeyoung, who grabbed it with a clumy catch,"Thanks for the towel-" She trailed off as she patted her hair down with the fabric, not exactly sure what she should be calling her new roommate.

"Jennie. Kim Jennie."

The taller girl nodded and continued to towel herself off, not paying enough attention to the world around her to notice Jennie's eye roll just before she retreated into the other room. When Chaeyoung was finally dry enough to be sure she wasn't going to drip water all over her new home, she found herself stumbling into the room Jennie was sit in.

It was quite cosy, with its, yet again, grey carpet and small fire. The room wasn't the biggest, but that was what you get when you're renting one of the more cheap apartments in Seoul. Then again, it didn't really need to be that big if you only had one or two people living there. There was a moderately-sized desk in the corner of the room (Chaeyoung took note of that as a possible place to do her work). Overall, the room was nice and tidy. Perhaps Jennie liked things organised? Another thing to take note of.

The second Chaeyoung stepped foot in the room, Jennie's eyes shot up from the book she was reading and down to the pinkette's feet. Right, no shoes. It was a common courtesy that she wasn't quite used to, but apparently it was more of an unspoken expectation in South Korea.

I've not even known her for an hour and I've already made myself look like a fool. Chaeyoung sighed and retreated back out of the room, slipped her shoes off, before returning. This time Jennie nodded in satisfaction, but the displeased expression never left her face,"I suppose you'll be wanting me to show you around?" She spoke after a minute, but Chaeyoung already knew it was happening no matter what she said because Jennie had risen to her feet and gestured for the girl to follow her.

The first room they visited was the kitchen and Chaeyoung didn't have much to say. She wasn't that good of a cook and it didn't seem that Jennie was either - based on the amount of takeaway orders stacked neatly on one of the kitchen tops. Maybe she'd have to look into cooking classes: that'd be a good way to get in Jennie's good book.

Second was the bathroom. It was quite small, but that was probably because both bedrooms most likely had their own en-suites with a shower and a bath, and only really had a toilet and a sink. Nothing too special about it.

After that, Jennie led the girl upstairs to where the bedrooms were,"This is your bedroom," The brunette pushed a neatly painted door open, revealing a spacious room with a queen-sized bed pushed against the wall,"I would tell you to redecorate if you want, but you'd probably do that no matter what I said. That door there goes to your bathroom."

The two girls walked into the bathroom and Chaeyoung looked around, finding the room to be exactly what she had thought. The floors were tiled with white slates and there was a soft black rug placed directly by the small shower. A few shampoos and body soaps were already in the shower but Chaeyoung thought it'd be best to buy her own. Thankfully, there was also a toilet in the corner of the room.

Chaeyoung thanked Jennie before the two left the bathroom and then the bedroom altogether,"That's really it for the upstairs," Jennie shrugged,"If you need any extra storage just ask me and I'll bring the stuff up to the attic, but don't go up by yourself."

There was just one question plaguing Chaeyoung, well, more than one question actually, but one main question,"Where do you sleep?" She assumed Jennie wouldn't be sleeping in the same room as her... not that it'd be a problem.

Wait, what?

"My room is on the other side of the landing," Jennie pointed to a white door,"Don't go in no matter what. If I find out you've been in there I'll be happy to get you kicked out, do you understand?"

Chaeyoung nodded hurriedly, following Jennie back down the stairs and to the living room,"I spend most of my time here, in my bedroom, or out. If you want something, which you probably will, just come to me. You can have a few guests over but not too many."

The girl with pink hair nodded, feeling the memories of her university dorm flood back to her all at once,"Do you happen to have a set of keys for me?" Chaeyoung watched as Jennie reluctantly reached into her back pocket and handed her a plain set of three keys.

"Silver key for the front door, bronze for the back door and gold for your room. Sometimes the door to your room gets stuck but if you push the door down and forwards while twisting the key it it'll unlock," Jennie spoke as she pointed at keys,"Anyway, i'm heading out and i won't be back till late. Takeaway menus are on the kitchen top unless you can cook."

Without a goodbye, Jennie quickly slipped her normal shoes back on, grabbed an umbrella and left the house, not bothering to lock the door behind her.

Chaeyoung smiled to herself and walked to the front door, unzipping her suitcase. The rest of her luggage was due to arrive tomorrow, and unfortunately in one of those bags was her typewriter so her laptop would have to make due for now.

She switched the laptop on and watched as the screen loaded, praying she'd find some inspiration during her stay with Jennie.


	2. FRIENDS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for the kudos'! i wasn't expecting many people to see the story by now, considering it's only been up for under a day. chapters will be updated daily till i run out lol, but the full works (or what i've written so far) are available on my wattpad and asianfanfics. happy reading!

Jennie wasn't lying when she said she'd be back late.

Chaeyoung awoke with a jolt at around two in the morning as she heard the front door slam shut, the noise of her laptop fan humming suddenly blurring into the loud slam. The girl rubbed her eyes, noting her laptop screen still faintly on and the word document was still open: she had written nothing.

The sound of the stairs squeaking made Chaeyoung remember the whole reason she had woken up; with a hoarse voice, the girl called out, "Jennie?" And then the stairs stopped squeaking for a moment. A second too late, Chaeyoung heard the girl come back down the stairs and into the living room, an obviously annoyed look on her face.

"Why are you still up, Chaeyoung? I told you not to wait up," She grunted as if the girl was a mere nuisance to her, "Is this what you're going to be like the entire time you stay here: not listening to me-"

"Actually, Jennie," Chaeyoung interrupted, feeling awkward - and honestly a bit disappointed- that Jennie had already established a bad opinion of her for something she didn't even do, "I was planning on writing but I fell asleep; the noise of you shutting the door woke me up."

"Oh." Jennie cleared her throat, looking down at the floor sheepishly.

"Yeah."

Chaeyoung waited in an uncomfortable silence for a moment, expecting Jennie to quickly apologise for her misconceptions and try and make it up to her. Unfortunately, that moment never came as Jennie quickly bowed her head, saying a quiet 'I should go' before walking out the room.

Chaeyoung hadn't even known her for twenty-four hours and she'd already messed things up.

\-----

Apparently it was becoming a thing for loud, irritating noises to wake the pink-haired girl up - not that she had ever really got any sleep after Jennie came back (the nagging feeling in her stomach managing to keep her awake). This time, instead of a door shutting, it was Chaeyoung's very own grumbling stomach that made her jump awake.

That'd make sense, though: she'd forgotten to have dinner last night.

Chaeyoung lazily pulled her arm up, squinting her eyes to try and make her vision less blurry in order to see the watch. It was either half eleven or half twelve- she prayed for the former. Eventually her vision cleared and she breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she hadn't slept away over half of the day.

Stiffly dragging her body off the couch, Chaeyoung yawned and looked around curiously for Jennie. When she didn't see her she considered the possibility Jennie was still asleep, however she disproved her theory when she walked into the kitchen (after struggling for a moment to find it) and saw the already-dressed, elder brunette sat at the breakfast bar, spooning a bowl of rice krispies in to her mouth as she scrolled through her phone, "Hi, Jennie," Chaeyoung spoke awkwardly, her greeting being returned with a bored look and a curt nod of the head, "Where do you keep the cereal?"

Jennie let out a quiet sigh, although it was still loud enough for Chaeyoung to hear it, and pulled herself out of her seat. She opened one of the higher kitchen cabinets, kicking a step stool so she could reach it, "Why do you put it so high if you can't reach it without the stool?" Chaeyoung pointed on, watching as Jennie climbed back down from the stool with a box of cereal.

"The lower cabinets aren't the safest to use so I leave them empty; I have to put everything on the top shelves." The brunette passed Chaeyoung the box before returning to her seat, picking her phone back up and resuming whatever it was that she'd been doing before the other girl had interrupted her, "I'm having a couple of friends round later. You can stay in the house if you want, just don't get in our way."

As Chaeyoung was about to respond, Jennie briskly picked up her bowl of cereal and poured the left-over milk into the drain, rinsing her dish and putting it in the sink. The conversation was over now, and Chaeyoung (despite wanting to think the best of the girl) knew better than to waste her breath on someone that wouldn't listen.

Jennie left the kitchen not long after, probably to go and watch television before her friends came round, meaning Chaeyoung was alone... again. Just great, she thought, stewing her cereal with her spoon, watching as the rice krispies slowly turned soggy.

They were meant to be roommates but all Chaeyoung knew about Jennie was that the girl definitely wasn't a morning person. Maybe she'd get better as the day went along? Chaeyoung knew that probably wouldn't be the case.

Chaeyoung left Jennie undisturbed in the living room for the majority of the rest of the day, that was until there was a knock on the door and she was forced to stumble out of her bedroom and down the stairs. She pulled the door as far open as it could go with the chain on, her eyes being greeted with three beautiful women, each with long black hair and strawberry-pink lips, "Hello?" Chaeyoung spoke curiously, more of a question asking 'who are you and why are you at my door' than a statement.

"Hi! You must be the roommate Jennie was on about last night. She didn't mention how pretty you were, though," One of the women flashed a toothy grin, baring her pristine white teeth to Chaeyoung, "You must be confused: I'm Joohyun, Jennie's friend. This is Wendy and Seulgi." She gestured to a girl with long bangs, then to a girl with a slightly shorter fringe and more slanted eyes.

"Oh!" Chaeyoung shook her head and shut the door on the three girls, quickly taking the chain off and then re-opening it, "Jennie told me you were coming, sorry," She bowed thrice, one to each of them," I think she's in the living room."

The girl quickly shut the front door behind them before peeking her head into the living room, Seulgi, Wendy and Joohyun stood not far behind her, "Um, your friends are here to see you, Jennie." Jennie quickly shot to her feet at Chaeyoung's words, immediately pushing past her (although it wasn't a hard push like she had expected) and greeting her friends with a massive smile on her face.

Now Chaeyoung had learned another thing: Jennie had a beautiful smile. Come to think of it, Jennie had a beautiful everything. Chaeyoung quickly shook her head, trying not to imagine what the girl that seemed to hate her would look like in a tight black dress, blood-red lips and midnight heels. God, she could be such a man sometimes.

"Hey!" Chaeyoung turned around, watching as Jennie squealed in excitement and wrapped her friends in a tight hug, acting as if she hadn't seem them in years (although Chaeyoung knew it was the exact opposite as Joohyun had mentioned seeing her just the other night), "It's great to see you guys- do you wanna go in my room or just stay down here." Jennie shot Chaeyoung a stern look, not allowing her smile to fault as her eyes demanded that Chaeyoung leaves.

Seulgi nodded, squeezing her limber body out of the tight hug, "That'd be great, Jen. But first of all, I want to know why you never mentioned how hot your roommate was, especially considering the fact she was all you seemed to talk about yesterday."

Chaeyoung looked down at Jennie and fought a smile as the elder girl's face gradually became wrapped in a faint blush, "How about you guys just go into the living room and I'll get the wine. Chaeyoung." It was an unspoken command, not even a question, from Jennie, telling the pink haired girl to leave as soon as possible.

The younger girl sighed and nodded in response, about to make her way up the stairs, when she felt a small hand wrap around her dainty wrist, "Chaeyoung, why don't you stay with Seulgi, Joohyun and me? I'm sure we're not that boring- you might actually have fun."

Giving the girl a tight smile, Chaeyoung looked between Jennie and the other girls. On one hand, she could have a good night and make new friends, but in order to do that she'd have to piss off her new roommate more than she already seemed to have. And whilst Chaeyoung wanted nothing more than to meet new people and explore South-Korean culture, she'd rather have a home to live in, "Not today ladies, sorry. I need to catch up with my writing if I want to meet my deadlines."

"You're a writer?" A voice asked meekly, surprising Chaeyoung when she turned to Jennie and saw it came from her.

The girl nodded, "Yeah. I did mention it the other day, I guess you weren't listening."

Jennie ignored the sinking in her stomach as she watched Chaeyoung walk up the stairs.


	3. WHAT THE UNIVERSE WANTS

It was hard for Chaeyoung to concentrate with so much noise coming from the downstairs living room. The four girls were obviously drunk, only God knows how they pulled that one off so quickly, and naturally quite a bit louder.

Unfortunately for the pink haired girl, this meant that she could barely even think about starting to write her first chapter. It seemed as though this house had placed a curse of writer's block up on her, dooming Chaeyoung to a year long dry spell of creativity.

And to think she came here to help her creative process (and amongst a few other reasons). maybe it would be better if Chaeyoung were to just take a break and go for a walk.

Yeah, that was a good idea.

Now to figure out a way to get past Jennie and her friends without being seen.

The easiest way would probably be to sneak out of the bedroom window, however Chaeyoung honestly didn't feel like slipping and breaking her neck. The next best thing was probably just to creep down the stairs and see how it would go: they'd probably be too off their heads to notice anyway.

To be honest, the first idea was kind of dumb anyways.

Chaeyoung rested her laptop on the bed (not really having anywhere else to put it considering the room was still bare) and saved the few words she had managed to write, before turning the laptop off. She hopped of the bed, her feet feeling the bitter coldness of the wooden floor, and quietly pushed the bedroom door open. Chaeyoung pitter-pattered down the stairs relatively silently, save for the few creaks every now and then, and came face to face with the door.

She gave one last look at the living room before slipping her shoes on, reaching out for the handle when a thought came into her head. What if she's worried because she doesn't know where I am? Chaeyoung shrugged the thought away, knowing that, if anything, Jennie would be happy to have her gone. At least that's the way she's been acting.

The girl swiftly left the house and shut the door behind her, stepping onto the very same streets that had been crowded just a day before. Now, however, the city was quiet. There were very few people out and about, and if there was anyone they were mostly random teenagers. Seoul's midnight air was very different to Chaeyoung's hometown: it felt somehow claustrophobic. Stars didn't seem to shine as bright in Korea as they did in Australia.

Maybe that was just her subconscious homesickness.

Chaeyoung shook her head and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her hoodie, briskly beginning her walk. She scanned the area around her, wanting to familiarise herself with her new home as quickly as possible. The words new home still felt strange to her. 

She looked down at her shoes as she walked, not needing to pay attention to the path in front of her as no one was there. Chaeyoung felt the soft summer breeze caress her face, running its fingers through her hair gently. The pink haired girl blinked her eyes closed, the sounds of her shoes tapping the floor as she walked echoing through her mind.

Chaeyoung heard a cough and she immediately opened her eyes, spotting a group of teens a bit further up the street. Looking across the road, she bit her lip and considering going to the other side to avoid having to pass them. Yeah, she wanted new friends, but maybe ones that didn't practically scream trouble.

Hesitantly, she looked left-to-right before crossing to the other path, breathing a sigh of relief when she managed to pass them. When she reached the street corner, she unfortunately didn't notice another woman coming her way, causing them to collide. Chaeyoung rubbed her shoulder as she jolted away, surprised by the sudden contact with the woman, "I- I sorry." The blonde stranger stammered, brushing her bangs to the side of her face slightly.

Chaeyoung noticed the woman's pronunciation being slightly off and she narrowed her eyes, "English?" She asked, wondering if the woman could feel more comfortable in the other language.

"A bit." The woman spoke after a moment, rolling her bottom lip between her teeth- don't ask how Chaeyoung noticed that. The blonde was obviously very beautiful; she had light, blonde hair and round eyes, matching her soft and full facial complexion. She obviously wasn't Korean, but from the way she spoke English that didn't seem to be it either.

Just as Chaeyoung was about to ask the woman something else, the blonde bowed deeply, "Sorry... again." She spoke in English this time before speed-walking past Chaeyoung and into the dark streets of Seoul.

The pink haired girl was left in a state of dazed confusion, wondering why the beautiful stranger had been so quick to run away. Maybe she was just feeling uncomfortable talking to a random woman- God knows Chaeyoung would probably feel the same. However, the woman felt it would be better to shrug it off and continue with her walk. 

Chaeyoung stayed on the same path for about ten minutes more before she felt it would be better to start going home: it was getting a bit chilly anyways. This was not what she had been expecting when she had moved to South Korea. Chaeyoung thought it would be a magical place with obvious Korean tradition running through its rivers. However, she had been quite disappointed when instead she was greeted with modern skyscrapers and a roommate that even she couldn't seem find any good in. But... it'd only been a day or two since they'd known eachother- and they had barely held a conversation for more than five minutes- so maybe there was good in Jennie.

Maybe Chaeyoung just hadn't seen it yet.

The thought kept the woman occupied all the way till she reached her new house, still almost missing it because of how foreign it seemed to her. Chaeyoung opened the door and slipped back inside as quietly as she could, noting the near-silent state of the flat (spare the sound of light breathing, but that was a given).

Curiousity getting the better of her, Chaeyoung peeked her head into the living room, her eyes softening at the sight infront of her. There, on the couch, lay Seulgi, Joohyun and Wendy (Chaeyoung applauded herself for remembering all of their names). The three of their bodies were scrunched up close together- Joohyun and Seulgi's a bit closer than most friends probably would've been- and their chests seemed to fall in harmony. However, that was not what melted the pink haired woman's heart.

Instead, it was the sight of Jennie laying a blanket over the three.

\----------

Chaeyoung knew the four women would probably wake up with pounding heads and little-to-no memory of last night; she made sure to wake up extra early to make them all a small breakfast and check that Jennie had stocked up on Advil. Sure enough, Jennie had... maybe a bit more than Chaeyoung thought was necessary.

It was ten o'clock when she decided to wake the girls up, an hour and a half so after Chaeyoung had awoke. Chaeyoung had made sure to wake them as gently as she could, and she managed to get Jennie's friends up with relative ease- but it seemed Jennie herself was a very heavy sleeper.

"Maybe you can be her Prince Charming and give her a kiss to get her up: I'm sure she'd love that." Wendy had snickered, her voice dry from the lack of water yet she was somehow still in the mood to crack jokes. The other two girls had laughed quietly too before wincing, somehow forgetting they had massive hangovers.

Chaeyoung had turned to Seulgi, making sure to speak quiet for the three awake girls, and asked her what the hell she was supposed to do. Seulgi had just told the pink haired girl to leave it to her; whilst Chaeyoung didn't exactly trust Seulgi, it was probably the best shot she had at ever waking Jennie up. She was left even more confused when the shorter girl had left the room.

A few moments later Seulgi had walked back in with a glass of water. Before Chaeyoung even had the chance to stop her it was thrown all over Jennie's face, causing the latter to awake with a piercing shriek that caused all four girls to wince, "What the fuck?" She yelled, her face dripping with cold water.

Joohyun had burst out laughing alongside Wendy and Seulgi, the trio not caring about how much it hurt their heads or their throats, whilst Chaeyoung could only look mortified, "Oh shit Jennie, I didn't know she was going to-"

Jennie cut her off with a glare that made the Park shrivel up and die inside, "Go get me a towel," She snapped, taking the sleeve of her top- that she had slept in yesterday- and wiping her face, "And you three:" The brunette turned her dagger eyes to her friends, "Kindly shut the fuck up."

Scurrying out of the room, Chaeyoung tried to remember where the downstairs bathroom was. After a few attempts, she stumbled into the right room and grabbed the first grey towel she saw before dashing out and back into the living room.

She saw Jennie was the only one there, standing up and wringing the hem of her black crop-top. (Un?)Fortunately, it seemed that Jennie's top had also been soaked in Seulgi's waking up process. Chaeyoung was left staring for a minute, her eyes raking over Jennie's chest and stomach as the top clung to her like a second pair of skin. She could see practically everything, from Jennie's hourglass figure to her impressive bust. The way the shirt stuck to her also served to highlight her flat stomach, the transition from fabric to skin unnoticeable other than the change in colour from a deep black to a sun-kissed tan, "Ahem." Jennie fake coughed, snapping Chaeyoung out of her reverie.

The pink haired girl blushed furiously knowing she'd been caught, somehow managing to turn even brighter than her hair. Jennie let a (dare Chaeyoung say amused?) smirk appear on her face, yet as soon as it was there it was gone, "The towel?" Jennie reached her hand out expectantly, reminding Chaeyoung why she had even gone to the room in the first place.

"Oh. Right..." There was an awkward silence as Chaeyoung passed the towel over. She wanted to stop herself from watching Jennie pat her body dry, especially when the towel wandered to the barely-visible valley of her breasts where water managed to have somehow got to.

Chaeyoung wondered if Seulgi had done that on purpose. Nah. From what Chaeyoung had seen, she seemed alot more interested in Joohyun than Jennie, anyway, "Are you done undressing me with your eyes?" Drat. Jennie had caught her once again. Luckily(?), Chaeyoung was already flushed from being caught the first time- so it wasn't possible for her to get redder. A bit of a weird flex, but the girl let herself call it a win.

The Park shook her head, clearing her throat for real (unlike Jennie had done earlier), "I wasn't, uh... I wasn't staring. Just so you know." It was a useless defence, of course, but Jennie nodded anyway- although it was definitely one dripping with sarcasm.

"Ok. Sure." 

There it was: the response she had been anticipating.

Chaeyoung looked around, suddenly remembering that there were three other women left unaccounted for, "Where are your friends?" She asked quickly, trying to ignore Jennie's raised eyebrows at the sudden change in conversation.

"I think they're eating the breakfast you made."

"How come you didn't go with them?"

"I can't eat whilst I'm wet."

It sounded a bit too sexual for Chaeyoung to handle so she nodded stiffly, wanting to forget about ever picturing Jennie like that. Ew..? She honestly wasn't too sure. Yeah, Jennie was hot and Chaeyoung was gay, but the former honestly seemed a bit too hot-and-cold for her to handle.

I mean, one minute Jennie is yelling at Chaeyoung for something that she didn't even do (yeah, thanks alot Seulgi), but then the two are having what seemed like, to Chaeyoung, atleast, playful joking around. How was it possible for one woman to be so confusing?

Chaeyoung stopped her mind before she could start over-thinking things all over again. She put on a wry smile and looked back at Jennie, blocking the images of her with a wet shirt from flooding her mind- scratch that: she didn't manage to block them, "Why don't you join them now you're dry?"

"Actually-" The pink haired girl sighed as soon as Jennie started speaking again, "I have a shift at work in forty five minutes, and I still need to get changed, and it takes me fifteen minutes to get there: I really should be getting ready by now." Jennie ran a hand through her hair.

"Of course."

It was like fate was against the two of them. It seemed the universe had other plans for Chaeyoung and Jennie: ones that didn't involve them ever being friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i keep saying i'll write but i never do :(


	4. THE FLOUNDER TO HER ARIEL

Jennie had left a good half an hour ago for work and her friends had followed another half hour later. Chaeyoung had fun chatting with them over breakfast whilst they were there, so now they were gone everything suddenly seemed so quiet. It was around half twelve when Chaeyoung found herself completely bored out of her mind.

She considered finishing the second chapter of her book but recently she'd be having major writer's block that seemed impossible to overstep. Luckily, Chaeyoung knew that whenever she did get hit by inspiration she'd be pumping out chapters left and right. But for now... that didn't solve her current boredom.

The only solution left was to go outside. Chaeyoung didn't feel the best about going out alone in one of the world's major cities at the busiest hour of day, but ultimately it was either that or dying of boredom. 

After finally getting changed out of her pyjamas and into a simple grey turtle neck with black jeans, Chaeyoung grabbed her coat and made her way out of the house and into the busy streets of Seoul. People streamed down the streets like a river and Chaeyoung couldn't help but be swept away. Honestly, she had no clue where she was going until her eyes landed on a McDonalds not far up the street. She faintly remember seeing it the other night, but Chaeyoung couldn't be too sure because of how dark it had been.

Chaeyoung swerved round oncoming people, apologising whenever she bumped shoulders with anyone particularly hard (a gesture which most rudely didn't return), and eventually found herself infront of the McDonalds. Atleast there was something in Seoul that was familiar to her.

She quickly slipped out of the crowd of people and into the building and spotted one of the computer order stations; Chaeyoung was honestly thankful that they had those and that she wouldn't have to butcher the Korean language in front of an employee. The pink haired girl ordered a medium Big Mac meal and payed with her card, taking her receipt and patiently lining up to collect her order.

It didn't take long til Chaeyoung was handed a large paper bag. She bowed respectfully and said the one Korean word she was certain of, "감사합니다." Chaeyoung looked around before spotting a familiar face sat alone on a table. She rolled her lip between her teeth before walking over to the girl's table.

"Hello," Chaeyoung spoke to the girl with blonde hair, "Mind if I sit here?" It was probably a weird thing to ask considering there was atleast half-a-dozen free tables in the McDonalds, but it was the only conversation started she really had.

The blonde didn't seem that talkative as she just nodded, bringing a smile to Chaeyoung's face as she sat down directly opposite of the girl. The stranger shuffled slightly under Chaeyoung's intent gaze, trying to escape her line of sight, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay after I ran into you last night. I know we didn't bump into eachother that hard but you seemed a bit upset." 

"I- I-" 

"Oh, that's right. Would you prefer me to speak in English or Korean? Sorry I can't really offer anything else: those are the only two languages I'm fully fluent in. I'm Chaeyoung, by the way."

"English. Please." The stranger's English was still a bit broken, yet no-way near as bad as her Korean. Interestingly, her voice was quite a bit higher in English than Korea, which was the opposite of Chaeyoung, "My name is Lalisa." 

Chaeyoung hummed at the name, liking the way it sounded in her mind, "Lalisa," She tried it, smiling happily when Lalisa nodded in satisfaction, "That's a nice name. It doesn't sound English, though."

"It's Thai." Lalisa chided, slowly beginning to sit up straighter in her seat at the mention of her native language. Just saying the word Thai or Thailand brought back memories of her home country to her. She had always been proud of her Thai origin.

"You're Thai?" 

Lalisa nodded eagerly, her bangs somehow not moving from her forehead, "Yes, Ch-Chae-" She stumbled over Chaeyoung's name, her face falling when she couldn't seem to get it right no matter how hard she tried. Whilst Lalisa was proud of being Thai, she was annoyed that she couldn't pronounce quite a few Korean words.

"Oh, right. You can just call me Roseanne if it's easier to say." Chaeyoung unfolded the McDonalds bag and grabbed the box with her burger in, leaving the fries for later. She took her drink and the paper straw, piercing the plastic lid and taking a sip.

"Can I call you Rosie?" Lalisa asked, her eyes trailing over Chaeyoung's casual movements. Chaeyoung could only nod as a yes as her mouth was busy eating her Big Mac and she didn't want to seem rude by talking with her mouth full.

The Thai girl slowly smiled before continuing to eat her own burger, feeling more comfortable around Chaeyoung. There was a strangely comfortable silence surrounding the two as they ate together- considering they'd only known eachother for about ten minutes. Eventually the two began to finish their meals and they looked at one another expectantly, not really knowing where to go from then on.

Chaeyoung took a sip and nodded towards Lalisa, "I don't know about you, but I've got loads of time to kill. Do you wanna go on a walk?" She asked, throwing one of her last chips into her mouth.

Lalisa pulled her phone out and checked the time before agreeing, "I have time."

The two ventured out of McDonalds, Lalisa taking the lead for once, "How long have you been living in Seoul?" Chaeyoung had asked, noting that the blonde seemed pretty familiar with the surroundings even in the busy streets of the South Korean Capital.

"Three months? Maybe four." 

The pink haired girl had just nodded, eyeing the places the two of them had passed during their walk. Where on Earth could they be going? Lalisa seemed to know, atleast, so Chaeyoung just went along with it. It's not like she would get kidnapped surrounded by these dozens of onlookers.

They continued walking for about ten more minutes till they reached a park, "Uh, I hope this is okay. It's just-" Lalisa struggled to remember the English words so she tried Korean instead. It was a bit shaky, of course, but that was to be expected, "We haven't known eachother long."

Chaeyoung felt the corners of her mouth tug up at Lisa's adorableness, finding it cute how she knew some words in one language and others in a different language, "It's perfect," Chaeyoung commented, knocking shoulders slightly with Lalisa as the two walked through the arched rose bush leading into the park, "I love parks."

"Yeah." 

Lalisa walked alongside Chaeyoung in silence for a while longer, the two taking in their surroundings, till she came across a beautiful sight. In the centre of the park was a water fountain depicting a mermaid spewing water from her mouth. Dozens of couples stood in the nearby vicinity, some taking pictures with one another and others throwing coins into the water. Some animals were perched upon the cold, grey stone, doing everything from grooming one another to playing in the water. Lalisa reached into her bag, pulling out a yellow polaroid camera and snapping a shot of the interaction between nature and humans.

Chaeyoung had turned to Lalisa, a perfect eyebrow arched slightly, "You like photography?" She asked curiously, watching the blonde lower her camera slowly and nod her head.

"It's a hobby. I like the statue, though. It reminds me of The Little Mermaid." Lalisa smiled, watching as the camera printed the picture. She softly grabbed it by its top right corner and waited for the photo to appear before turning her attention back to Chaeyoung.

"The Little Mermaid is my favourite Disney movie ever!" The taller girl exclaimed, happy that she'd managed to find a common interest with Lalisa, "Whenever I was younger and setting the knives and forks out, if my mum wasn't looking I'd always try to brush my hair with a fork." Chaeyoung laughed fondly at the memory, thinking back to her time in Melbourne with her family.

A knot tugged in her stomach at the old memory and Chaeyoung was suddenly aware that she was practically a million miles from home. She wouldn't be able to see her family for months, atleast. It's not like she could just go over to her sister's or her parents' house whenever she wanted: she was in a whole other continent. Lalisa seemed to notice as she slowly reached her hand out for Chaeyoung, leaving it open as a reassuring gesture, "I know how you feel, Chaeyoung," She spoke somberly, leaning her head on Chaeyoung's shoulder as the elder girl interlocked their hands, "I miss Thailand. It gets better. Promise."

Chaeyoung nodded, not liking the sudden solemn mood upon the two of them. Surprisingly, it was not her that ended it, but Lalisa instead, "If you dyed your hair red you'd look like Ariel," She commented randomly, gazing up at Chaeyoung from the corner of her eyes as her head was still rested on the other girl's shoulder, "You're both very pretty."

"You think I'm pretty?"

"Uh huh."

The pink haired girl couldn't stop smiling at Lalisa's comment, yet she jumped in surprise when the blonde lifted her camera and quickly took a picture of the two of them, "Lalisa!" Chaeyoung exclaimed, "You could've told me you were going to do that!"

Lalisa just ignored her and waited for the picture to show, her face lifting into a grin when a cute selfie showing the two finally started to appear. Chaeyoung was grinning like the Cheshire cat, her chipmunk cheeps lifting with her smile and making her eyes scrunch up. Lalisa herself had her eyes shut and her head leaned on Chaeyoung's shoulder with a small yet serene smile on her face. The two's hands were still interlocked and behind them you could see the rose arch that they had walked through when they first entered the park. The Thai quickly blinked her eyes open and rummaged through her bag, pulling out a sharpie and scribbling something on the bottom white part of the picture, "Here." She passed it to Chaeyoung.

The girl felt her heart flutter at the picture and the fact that Lalisa had written her phone number on the bottom, "Lalisa- I can't." Chaeyoung insisted, shaking her head and trying to pass the Polaroid back to the Thai girl.

"It's fine. I can just take another."

Chaeyoung giggled before caving, thanking Lalisa and putting the Polaroid picture carefully in her pocket, "Do you wanna get an ice-cream?" She asked, gesturing her head to the ice-cream van parked just behind the fountain.

"I'd like that." 

The two slowly walked over to the van as Chaeyoung pulled her purse out and grabbed a few notes, watching Lalisa as she scrutinized the options when they finally arrived at the ordering window, "I'll have..." The Thai trailed off, looking once at the woman in the truck and then back at Chaeyoung as a cry for help.

The elder girl just smiled at her and asked, "What do you want?" as she gestured at the board of options, hoping that Lalisa could atleast point out the flavour she wanted. Chaeyoung made a visible face of disgust when her friend pointed out the most dreaded option, but she ordered it nevertheless, "Can we have a mint choc-chip single and a mango single, please?"

Beaming, the woman in the van nodded and headed over to the cones, "Sorry, girls." She spoke, turning back to face the two, "We only have one single left- so it's either that or doubles." 

Rosie looked at the money in her hand and then thought back to the few stray notes she had in her purse, "What about one double? I don't have the money for two doubles. Is that okay with you, Lalisa?"

The Thai nodded, maybe a bit more eagerly than she should've, and the smile on her face carried on as the two got their ice cream and ate together, sharing jokes and trading the cone. Chaeyoung even let her have a bit of her mango ice cream- which was alot nicer than Lalisa had expected- but as soon as the younger girl had offered her some mint, Chaeyoung had practically jumped away.

It was a good day.


	5. ANGELS AND DEVILS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for the comments lmao

After getting ice cream, Chaeyoung and Lalisa had continued to roam the park for a few hours more. Unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end, and eventually the sun began to set, signalling their time left together was short, "It's getting late," Chaeyoung commented, looking at the sun slowly falling into the horizon, "I think we should go home."

Lalisa moaned yet agreed reluctantly. Despite only having lived in Korea for a few months, she knew better than to walk the streets at night unless it was absolutely necessary. Linking arms with Chaeyoung, Lalisa reached for her camera and took one last picture of the two, the golden beams of sunlight beating down on their skin and making their bodies glow ethereally, "Mind... mind if I have this?" The Thai stammered, her eyes not leaving the picture.

"Sure." 

Chaeyoung linked their arms tighter and resumed their walk back out the park, taking her time to appreciate the nature surrounding them, "Where abouts in Seoul do you live?" She directed her curious gaze to the side of Lalisa's head, her eyes admiring the the Thai girl's sand-blonde, wavy hair. Lalisa was really pretty, Chaeyoung had noticed. 

When Lalisa didn't answer, Chaeyoung nudged her with her shoulder slightly, "Lalisa?" She asked again, growing more weary and nervous by the second. It wasn't a hard question to answer, so why wasn't she replying?

"I'm... staying at hotel." Lalisa bowed her head as if it were the most embarrassing secret she could ever tell. Chaeyoung, on the other hand, looked at her like she was a headless chicken. Why was Lalisa so ashamed to say that? In all honesty, Chaeyoung would've had to live in a hotel herself if it weren't for one of her friend's, Yong-Sun, connections in Seoul.

Chaeyoung chuckled and pulled her phone out, dialling a taxi,"Hi, can I have a taxi please for Seoul Grand Park? Fifteen minutes? That's good with us. Thank you." The conversation took just a few moments, and during the entirety of it Lalisa was utterly confused.

"Ta-Taxi?" She asked, "What is that?" 

"You have them in Thailand, right? I mean, the cars you can call to pick you up and take you places- you just have to pay." Chaeyoung and Lalisa passed by the arch and back out of the park, onto the golden streets of South Korea's capital city.

The sun had lowered greatly by this point, greating a glowing arch of bright yellow and orange. The sky was painted a blend of pink and blood-red, creating a work of art that everyone that just so happened to be looking into Seoul's sky at that moment could freely enjoy. Lalisa seemed to think the same as she snapped a quick picture and waited patiently for it to print before responding to Chaeyoung's question, "Oh. Yes, we have those." 

Falling into a comfortable silence, the two took the rest of the time to find a bench and look up at the sky whilst they waited for the taxi. Eventually, the colours faded into a deep black and the sun finally greeted the Earth, leaving its shift for the moon. By the time the taxi pulled up, Lalisa was practically asleep on Chaeyoung's shoulders and the pink haired girl was being forced to carry her into the car. Part of her wanted to wake Lalisa up and ask her for the name of the hotel she was staying at, but the more empathetic and skeptical side of Chaeyoung was nagging at her to take the Thai girl back to her own apartment and give her a better place to stay.

Naturally, that side won out.

Chaeyoung quickly gave the driver her address and buckled both herself and Lalisa into the car, making sure to tell the man to be careful not to jostle the car and wake up the blonde. As the taxi drove into the endless streets of Seoul, the walkways were practically empty- spare a few homeless people. 

The drive was quick due to nearly empty roads, and before Chaeyoung knew it she was dropped off in front of her house. She reached for her purse and opened it, ready to pay the driver. Unfortunately, it seemed she had spent all her money at the park, "Do you mind if I go and get some money from inside?" The driver eyed her skeptically, but he ultimately agreed in the end. Chaeyoung grabbed Lalisa and lifted her onto her back, knowing better than to leave her with a random man in a car when she was borderline knocked out from tiredness and unable to defend herself.

She opened the front door- after much struggle- and quickly went to the living room so she could lay Lalisa's body down on the couch. From inside the house, she could still hear the hum of the taxi's motor as the driver waited for Chaeyoung to reemerge- maybe she would if she could find her money. The Australian searched frantically for any spare notes she could've left lying round the house, knowing that practically all of her money was on her bank cards.

No luck.

The hammering of Chaeyoung's heart grew with every passing moment, knowing that there was an ansty man waiting just outside for his money, probably missing spending time with his loved ones just because Chaeyoung didn't have any money on her. And then there was a banging at the door. Chaeyoung leaped and continued to rush around the house, trying her hardest to be quiet as to not disturb Jennie upstairs but obviously failing.

But there it was: a black handbag. Chaeyoung faintly remembered seeing it slung over Jennie's shoulder when the brunette had left for work earlier that morning. It would be so easy to just open up the handbag and take a few notes to give to the man, just to get him to leave Chaeyoung and Lalisa alone. 

The better part of Chaeyoung was screaming at her to stop being ridiculous and just to tell the driver she didn't have any money on her and that she'd be able to pay him back tomorrow. However, the same part of Chaeyoung that had made her take Lalisa to her house was telling her to just take the money and get the taxi driver to go away.

\----------

"Sorry for all the hassle," The girl spoke, handing the taxi driver way more money than he was actually owed, "She's new to Seoul." Jennie gestured to the bashful Chaeyoung stood at the top of the stairs, playing with her hands as if she were a toddler that had just been scolded.

The Australian watched as her new roommate and the man conversed longer before finally Jennie waved a goodbye and shut the front door with a heavy bang and an even heavier sigh, "Seriously?" She asked after a moment, staring Chaeyoung dead in the eye, "You brought a random girl that you've known for, what, a day, back to the house? And then, you go and make me pay a ridiculous amount for a taxi that wasn't even for me... because you're broke?"

"I'm not broke."

"Well then why couldn't you pay for your taxi, hm?" 

Chaeyoung fell silent at the remark and lowered her gaze to her feat, feeling her shoulders slump in defeat, "I'm trying to get money. I really am." She spoke under her breath, yet it wasn't quiet enough for Jennie to not hear.

The brunette let out another breath and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Look, Chaeyoung, I know it's hard to be a writer, but you might want to consider getting a job in your spare time. Just so you can pay your half of the rent till you're finished with whatever it is that you're writing; Jisoo is really harsh when it comes to paying the rent on time."

Nodding, Chaeyoung knew it was pointless to disagree and argue. Jennie was right, anyway: practically no aspiring writers make it in the world, so she might aswell just focus on the now instead of the future. On the other hand, Chaeyoung's time with Lalisa had given her some inspiration for her romance novel, so atleast there was progress on that front, "You're right. I'll start looking for a job soon."

Jennie just shook her head, "Your friend can stay on the couch- make sure she's gone by the time I get back from work tomorrow." She turned away and made her way up the stairs, but not before Chaeyoung got in one last comment.

"Cute pyjamas."

She gestured to Jennie's baby blue shark onesie and her fluffy slippers, making her look like the cutest shark in the entire world. The brunette just flushed red in response before stomping back up the stairs- although it wasn't technically stomping as the slippers cushioned her feet and made little to no noise upon impact.

Adorable. 

Chaeyoung shook her head and followed Jennie upstairs, making it to her room's door just in time to see Jennie retreat into her hideout. There were no lights on in the girl's room, but Chaeyoung swore the walls were painted a pale blue, matching the colours of Jennie's pyjamas.

At the rate things were going, Chaeyoung would only ever be able to understand Jennie Kim when Hell froze over.


	6. HOPELESS ROMANTIC

"อะไรวะ!?"

Chaeyoung jumped awake to a strange shout from downstairs in a language she couldn't quite decipher, "What the fuck!?" The voice shouted again, this time in a language Chaeyoung could understand. The tone was a pitch higher than it was previously, suddenly striking Chaeyoung and reminding her of the previous night.

Oh shit, Lalisa! Chaeyoung had forgot to leave a note telling the Thai girl where she was, meaning that Lalisa had no clue where she was and probably thought she'd been kidnapped by some psychopath. The pink haired girl hopped out of her bed and grabbed her baby-pink dressing gown to hide her naked body (spare the pants she was wearing. It wasn't that Chaeyoung didn't have any pyjamas, it was more like she hadn't gotten round to unpacking her suitcase yet and the rest of her boxes still hadn't arrived from Australia.

The girl tied the robe and dashed down the stairs and into the living room, finding a shocked Lalisa holding the fire poker and thrusting the sharp end randomly in front of her, "Huh, Rosie?" She stopped the senseless waving and looked around shiftily, "Got you too?!" Lalisa whispered.

Chaeyoung scrunched up her nose in confusion before finally realising what Lalisa meant, "What? No. This is my house: you're safe, Lalisa." She chuckled before sitting down on the sofa next to the Thai girl, "I took you here in the taxi after you basically passed out on my shoulder last night."

"Taxi... I remember." Lalisa nodded happily, "Could- show me how to write?"

The pink haired girl just nodded and grabbed a piece of paper and pen, "Here," She placed the paper down on the coffee table infront of the sofa and handed Lalisa the pen, "You just-" Chaeyoung explained how to write the Korean word to the Thai girl, yet the latter still seemed to be having a bit of trouble.

Chaeyoung shuffled behind Lalisa and wrapped her right arm around her, placing her hand upon Lalisa's own. It was a bit awkward to help Lalisa write, but not because of the hand-holding- more because Chaeyoung was left handed and the blonde girl was right handed.

After a few minutes, Lalisa happily put the pen down and looked proudly at the sheet of paper where she had messily written '택시'. It wasn't perfect, but that was expected for a person whose first language wasn't Korean.

"What the hell was all that noise?" A harsh voice made both Lalisa and Chaeyoung's heads snap to the living room, spotting an angry Jennie standing tall- well, as tall as possible when you're five foot three inches- with crossed arms. She was changed from the shark onesie she was wearing last night into a silk black button up shirt and pants. That simple change brought a smirk to Chaeyoung's face, realising her words had affected the woman she thought to be an ice queen.

Lalisa, on the other hand, flinched and shuffled further back into Chaeyoung's body to the point where the elder girl was practically cradling her. That didn't go unnoticed by Chaeyoung, and the Australian wrapped a reassuring arm around the Thai and spoke to Jennie in a soft voice, "Lalisa had just woken up and didn't know where she was: she was scared."

"Lisa."

"Huh?"

Chaeyoung looked down at Lalisa, who was still entangled in her arms, and tilted her head questioningly. The blonde just bit her lip before replying, "Just Lisa." It took the Australian a second to click on, but when she did her lips tugged up into a smile as she gazed down at Lisa with fond eyes.

No one in the room moved for a few moments: Chaeyoung was too busy staring at Lisa, Lisa was too busy fiddling with her fingers, and Jennie was just giving the two an unamused look, "Right. Okay," The eldest girl cleared her throat, "Sorry to interrupt your moment- or whatever it was meant to be- but that's not an excuse to disturb my beauty sleep. Do you realise the time?"

Both Chaeyoung and Lisa shook their heads, yet the pink haired girl looked at the black grand-father clock stood in the corner of the room and winced, "Oh." She spoke in shock, not anticipating it to have been that bad.

"'Oh' indeed. It's four in the fucking morning- so get your asses to sleep so I can do the same." With that, Jennie quickly left the living room to go back to bed and get the beauty sleep that she definitely did not need.

Chaeyoung and Lisa stayed still for a bit longer, neither wanting to let go of one another, but both knew that they would eventually have to part... but did they? "Sleep with me." Lisa stated simply.

"I mean, we've only known eachother for a day or so- but if that's what you want then I'm down for it. I just didn't think you'd be into girls, y'know?"

"What?"

"Oh. You meant like actual sleeping. Okay. We can do that instead, I guess."

Lisa twisted her head in innocent confusion, not understanding what Chaeyoung had been baffling about, but she shook it off and flashed a wry smile, "Your bed." She added. Whilst the Thai girl had been grateful that Chaeyoung had allowed her to sleep on the sofa instead of at her incredibly uncomfortable hotel, the soft, flexible material was the exact opposite of the near-concrete mattresses she had gotten used to over her twenty two years of living- essentially, she just couldn't sleep on something so soft.

Chaeyoung just nodded and slowly tugged her arms out of Lisa's grip, maneuvering her body off the couch before helping the blonde girl up. When Lisa almost collapsed due to pins and needles, the Australian squatted down and grabbed Lisa's thighs, lifting her up and onto her back. Stumbling out of the room and up the stairs, Chaeyoung gripped onto Lisa's thighs as if her life depended on it as the two continued the trek up the flight of stairs.

They made it to Chaeyoung's bedroom quickly and the two made it to the bed even quicker, "Do you wanna top and tail or just lie next to eachother?" The pink haired girl looked at the bed warily, then to Lisa. It's not that she wouldn't mind sleeping next to Lisa, it's just that the Thai was intimidatingly attractive and it made her nervous just to be next to her.

"Next."

Lisa climbed under the covers first, immediately feeling more comfortable atop the slightly firmer mattress, and Chaeyoung reluctantly followed, "I toss alot, just so you know." She spoke, earning a nod from Lisa.

The two settled under the quilt, Lisa faced in the direction of the window and Chaeyoung facing the plain grey wall. It wasn't long after that the Australian heard soft snores coming from beside her, and that was when she knew: she wouldn't be sleeping tonight.

\-----

Laying in bed next to sleeping beauty herself wasn't where Chaeyoung expected to find inspiration- but hey, they do say inspiration comes at the weirdest of times. It was around five o' clock in the morning when she had felt that familiar nagging feeling in her stomach: the one where she just had to get up and do something or else she felt like she'd die (you know the one).

So, as quietly as possible, she slipped out of the bed and picked up the laptop she had discarded on the floor earlier that day. Booting it up, Chaeyoung drummed her fingernails against the keys anxiously, hoping the dim light and the low humming wouldn't wake up Lisa. She cast anxious looks at the girl every now and then, making sure her sleep remained undisturbed.

As time progressed, Chaeyoung grew less cautious and let her key strokes become louder and her screen brighter. Luckily, Lisa stayed deep in her coma-like sleep. Unluckily, Jennie did not. There was a quiet knock on the Australian's bedroom door followed by a small figure entering, "What are you doing and why does it mean you're being so loud."

"Uh, sorry Jennie." Chaeyoung folded her laptop as far as it would go without turning off, her eyes narrowing as they weren't quite adjusted to the dark, "I was just writing." 

"Writing? At this time of night?"

The taller girl could only nod, interlacing her fingers together out of nervousness under Jennie's intent gaze, "What are you writing?" Jennie asked suddenly, utterly baffling the younger girl. In fact, Jennie had even surprised herself.

"It's a book about, uh... two girls that fall in love," Chaeyoung glanced nervously at her roommate, noticing the surprised look on her face when she mentioned the two girls, "One of them is an artist and the other is a model. The artist gets a new job to make a painting of her employer's wife- who turns out to be the model. And then it goes on from there."

Jennie could only hum in response, walking over to the bed and perching her body on the ledge next to Chaeyoung, "Sounds interesting." She spoke- without a trace of sarcasm, might I be able to add.

"Really?"

"Yeah- I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic myself."

Well that was surprising, "I didn't take you for one."

"I get that alot. Mind if I read what you've got so far?"

Chaeyoung gulped nervously, her mind weighing the option out. Best case scenario: Jennie would love her work and tell her how amazing it was. Worst case scenario: Jennie would laugh at her writing and mock it, telling her her dream to be a professional author was pathetic and she should just give up. In all honesty, Chaeyoung had never showed anyone her writing; one day she had just told her family she was moving to Seoul for inspiration for her writing and that was that. Not even Alice, the person she trusted most in the world, had read her work.

"Sorry, it's just it's not very good and I've never showed my work anyone and-"

Jennie silenced Chaeyoung with a look and gentle, quiet words that were barely above a whisper, "Chaeyoung, it's fine. I get it," With that, she stood up and left the room, but not before saying, "Try to be quieter when you write. I need my beauty sleep."

And with that, Chaeyoung knew Jennie had lied thrice in such a small amount of words.


	7. THE THRILL OF THE CHASE

You know that thing people always say: the one about when something is harder to achieve it's only more exciting? Bullshit. It was all bullshit. That was something Chaeyoung had learned first hand during her short time in Seoul. Ever since Jennie had practically told her to get off her ass and earn some money, Chaeyoung had been searching for a job for four days with no luck, only taking breaks to eat, sleeep, shower and spend time with Lisa.

She wasn't expecting to walk into the first interview and have the job practically thrown at her, but she was atleast expecting to get an interview in the first place. Even McDonalds hadn't called her back. Chaeyoung had applied for a job at atleast ten different places- ranging from KFC to a call center that she was fairly sure was a scam- and she'd been shot down from all of them, with reasons raging from she was over/underqualified and even "oh, we're just not looking" even though there was a hiring sign hanging in the window.

"I don't get it, Lisa." Chaeyoung stirred her hot chocolate whilst sitting in a booth at the McDonalds she'd first befriended the Thai- which also happened to be the McDonalds that never called her back, "I graduated college with all the qualifications I needed, and now they're telling me I'm under qualified. Not to mention Jennie's been avoiding me like I'm the plague since you stayed over; I've not even been in South Korea for a week and I already miss Australia."

Lisa just nodded dumbly, playing with the pancakes in front of her, "It was like that... uh... when..." She trailed off, looking expectantly to her Rosie to help her remember the words she was missing.

"When you came from Thailand?" Lisa nodded once more at her friend's words, "I know I'm not the first person in the world to feel homesick but I think I'm starting to regret coming here. Usually, I try to make the best of a bad situation but I can't see any light at the end of my tunnel, Lisa. Oh crap, I'm doing it again; I'm talking too much. Sorry."

Laughing, Lisa reached across the table and put a hand on Chaeyoung's arm, "It's okay- I don't know what to say. But, I don't have... have job either." She looked bashfully at her breakfast, pushing the pathetically-sized pancake round the Styrofoam container, "I look but there is none."

"Do you atleast know what you want to do?"

"Dad wants me to be doctor." Lisa sighed and bowed her head slightly, making Chaeyoung raise her eyebrows slightly.

"But is that what you want?"

"No. I wanted to take... picture."

Chaeyoung hummed and looked back to Lisa under hooded eyes, something inside her body hurting at the way the Thai girl had spoken, "Well then be a photographer. I can help you look for jobs, if you want."

"I tried. For months. But no one wants a... a 'Thai pig'." The two sat in silence after Lisa's words, the Thai girl picking at her food and taking tiny bites, trying to hide her quivering lips and water eyes (but she wasn't fooling anyone), and Chaeyoung was simply stunned by the blatant xenophobia Lisa, one of the kindest people she'd ever known, had experienced in such a short amount of time in South Korea, "Um, excuse me I'm just going to the bathroom." Lisa spoke meekly, scooting out of her seat and retreating into the only place she thought would be suitable to let her tears fall and her heart wrench.

The Australian girl's stomach heaved at the thought of Lisa crying, but what could she do to help? Chaeyoung had never experienced such hate- well, to her face- in her life. All in all, Seoul wasn't living up to the magical place her parents had made it out to be.

\-----

"Sorry for ruining the mood." Lisa didn't need to clarify what she meant, so the Australian didn't ask. The two walked down the streets with Chaeyoung's hand wrapped around Lisa's waist as if to say 'she belongs here in South Korea as much as I do'.

Chaeyoung shook her head, "You didn't ruin anything, Lisa. Those people were dead wrong for what they said; you are not a pig." She pulled Lisa closer to her, ignoring the stares she received from people walking down the street. Did they think she cared? No. She knew what people would think if they saw her arm around Lisa but she did it anyway, because it was nothing more than a friendly gesture.

"Maybe they weren't. All words have some truth to them." She tugged away from Chaeyoung's hold, her eyes going hollow at her own words. That's what Lisa's father had told her: no one says something for no reason. It doesn't matter if it was a slip of the tongue or a drunken mistake, everything said- even if claimed to be false- is at least partially true.

"Well, that was true for them, then. But what's true for me and everyone who cares for you is that you are beautiful inside and out. You're not a pig, Lisa, and I want you to know that. I'll find you a job where you're valued and loved and treated like a human- because that's what you are: an amazing human. Not a pig."

Lisa's hand grabbed her wrist and tugged her to the side of the street, down a gloomy alleyway lit by small beams of sunlight barely crawling into the small crack of sky visible. She threw her arms around Chaeyoung, squeezing the pink-haired girl so tight she thought she might break in two, "Thank you." She sobbed.

"It's all good, Lisa. Just a part of the Park Chaeyoung experience." She pulled herself out of the hug and retook Lisa's hand in her own, threading their fingers together in a way that only lovers should do, before pulling them back out into the streets, "Now let's go somewhere to cheer ourselves up."

The two navigated the streets, suggesting places from theme parks to clubs before, before finally deciding to go to an arcade. Chaeyoung immediately headed to a cash machine and took out more than enough money to keep the two busy for hours on end. She gave Lisa a smile and they headed to the conversion machine in the centre of it all, exchanging thin, paper notes for a hefty bag of coins.

"Where to first?" Chaeyoung asked, looking round the arcade and seeing dozens of machines and games. The one that caught her own eye, however, was the horse racing game, "Do you wanna play the Derby?"

Lisa looked dumbly in the direction Chaeyoung had pointed, her eyes widening in joy when she caught sight of the large plush toys hung up as prizes, "Okay!" She chirped eagerly, all but dragging the elder girl to the one available seat in front of the game, "Take turns?"

"How about I go first so I can show you how to play?" When Lisa nodded, Chae smiled back at her and sat down on the seat, squirming as the cheap plastic dug into her body. She felt the Thai girl's hands settle atop her shoulders, and she unknowingly tensed for a moment, but when Lisa gave a gentle caress Chaeyoung felt her whole body relax.

The Australian placed a coin in the slot, waiting for the next Derby game to start as the mechanical horses hung upon the wall shifted squeakily back to their starting positions, "When the bell rings-" Chaeyoung spoke softly, waiting anxiously for the winner of the previous game to hurry up and collect their prize, "You try and get the balls into the holes. Each colour has a different amount of points (how far you will move) that you win if it goes in that one: red is three, orange is two, and yellow is one. If the ball doesn't go in any hole, it will fall into a duct and come back to you. You have to try and get your horse to be the first to the finish."

Suddenly, the bell let out a sharp cry and Chaeyoung immediately begun rolling the balls uphill, trying desperately to get into the red ones. Lisa kept a watch on their horse, number seven, and watched as it creaked forward an inch or so, "Go, Rosie!" She squealed, her eyes disappearing into a thin line as her lips stretched into a smile.

Rosie rolled the balls with even more vigour at Lisa's encouragement, cheering silently when she got two in the red consecutively. Their horse trooped onwards as Chaeyoung continued scoring balls into the reds and oranges, eventually catching up with the leading lady, lucky number thirteen, at the final stretch. The other mechanical horses lagged behind, number nine being the closest but still being a good several inches away, whereas number eleven remained motionless at the start, obviously broken.

Looking down the line of players, Lisa caught sight of the woman behind the infamous number thirteen horse. She was pretty, to say the least, with full red lips and thick, raven hair styled in a simple (yet elegant) side parting. The woman had wide, doe-eyes (much like Lisa herself) and gentle cheeks. Lisa's eyes softened when she heard the shrill ring of the bell once more before she looked back to the stand where the horses had once raced, her smile not falling even as she saw the results. Number thirteen had won- no surprise there- and number seven was just an inch or so away; one more yellow and they would've won.

Lisa glanced back at Chaeyoung, finding the other girl already facing her, "Your turn, Lis." She stood from the seat and waited for the Thai girl to sit down, guiding the younger girl's body to the seat. When Lisa did take her seat, Chaeyoung put in the money for her and the two watched eagerly as the horses whirred back to the starting line, the previous winner already having collected the prize by the time the two girls turned their attention back to the game.

Once again, the bell rung and the game had begun. Lisa struggled at first, getting one or two yellows and the rest of the balls dwindling down the dark abyss at the bottom of the hill, but once she got into the groove of things her horse was practically always on the move, overtaking the others with a swift hand movement. Chaeyoung cheered for Lisa and, although it blended into the harsh, cartoon-like noises of the arcade, the girl still heard it.

Lisa hadn't even realised she'd won till the bell cried once more and the man behind the counter was hounding around her, waving a cane around to all the giant plushies that were on display above the game. The Thai looked in wonder, seeing teddies of animals ranging from bunnies to birds- but the one that caught her eye wasn't an animal.

It was an avocado. The seed was coloured a light brown and had an adorable smiley face drawn on it, meanwhile the inside was made up of a soft-green coloured fluffy material. The skin was almost the colour of moss, completely contrasting the interior colour of the fruit, "The avocado, please." Lisa spoke confidently pointing out the plush that had stood out from the rest.

"Brilliant choice, young lady. A delicious fruit and a cuddly plush!" The man unhooked the plush from where it was hanging and handed it across the counter-top to an already-beaming Lisa, who greeted the teddy with open arms. Rosie... not so much.

"That guy was such a liar." Chaeyoung scoffed as the two strolled away from the derby and into the rest of the arcade, looking around for other games they could play, "Avocados are the spawn of Satan himself. They're the worst thing to exist on this Earth and I honestly have no clue why God would ever make them."

Lisa laughed at her friend's over-exaggeration, stopping them in front of a claw machine, "Well then you wouldn't want me to give this avocado plush. Would you, Rosie?" The Thai stroked the fur of the plush subconsciously, watching with a quirked eyebrow as Chaeyoung stared into the dotted eyes of the avocado in her arms.

"I definitely wouldn't want that. At all." Rosie folded her arms, bringing her stare up to meet the Thai girl's eyes in an act of defiance (although her bottom lip between her pearly-whites completely gave away that it was a ruse), "Not one bit." She repeated her point.

"Just take it." Lisa threw the plush at Chaeyoung before she had the chance to object (half-heartedly) again. With quick reflexes (luck), Rosie somehow caught the avocado with next to no warning. She gave Lisa a mock glare and swaddled it against her chest, a smile stretching across her face.

"Thanks, Lisa."

\-----

Time passed in the arcade, and as the sun fell to the Earth as did the number of things to do. The girls had done practically everything: from the coin machines to the claw grabbers (which are total scams, by the way), there wasn't much they hadn't seen or done in that arcade.

What was meant to be a day of meeting Lisa and then going job hunting had turned into fun and games, the two having forgotten their adult responsibilities and acted like teenagers with no responsibilities for the past few hours.

Chaeyoung, still clutching the plush to her chest, dialled for a cab as the two basked in the setting sun of Seoul, an orange glow hovering over them, "Ok, thanks." She hung up, turning back to Lisa, "Are you sure you don't want to come back to mine again? I just want you to be safe."

Lisa gave a bashful look and scuffed the floor with her feet, "Your roommate." She commented, needing to say no more to Chaeyoung as the elder girl gave a chuckle and a nod of understanding.

"Dont mind Jennie, Lisa. She may look all scary and mean, but she's actually quite nice deep down."

Who am I to give advice about a girl I don't even know? Chaeyoung thought to herself, waiting patiently for the taxi to appear. Oh crap, Jennie. In all the fun and games, Rosie had forgot she would have to tell Jennie about the day's job hunting when she got back to apartment. What was there to tell? She hadn't done anything!

Oh God, would Jennie kick her out?

As an old, black car pulled up next to the girls on the sidewalk, Chaeyoung turned to Lisa, "I gotta go, Lis. It's not too late to come with." It was more of a question than a statement as Chaeyoung opened the back door and waited for the reply.

"I'm ok."

"Be safe." Were Rosie's parting words as she slid into the seat and shut the door, waving goodbye to her friend as she gave the driver an address and he pulled away. The ride back to the house wasn't long, barely fifteen minutes, but it gave Chaeyoung plenty of time to think.

She'd really enjoyed spending the day with Lisa, even though it was an obvious Jennie was going to chew her up and spit her out when Chaeyoung got home, and she hoped they'd get to do it again soon. Even though she'd only known Lisa for a week or so, the two had clicked and an instantaneous bond had formed between them both.

It reminded Chaeyoung of Alice- how the two acted back in Australia. God, she hadn't talked to Alice in so long. Come to think of it, she was supposed to call her parents when she got here. Great! Another person that was going to rip her a new one.

Rosie shook her head, figuring that she couldn't blame anyone but herself and her own forgetfulness. For as long as she could remember (which wasn't very long, mind you), Chaeyoung had possessed the memory of a chimpanzee. In one ear and out the other, her mother had said.

Chaeyoung missed her mother. Infact, she really missed her. Maybe she would be calling her tonight, just to let her know she was still alive and not to fly to Seoul to look for her, but also because she wanted to hear her voice.

"Which number, again?"

Ah, a fellow man with shockingly bad memory.

Chaeyoung repeated the house number again as the man circled back the taxi, apparently having missed the house completely on his way up the street. When the cab finally came to a stop, Rosie grabbed what was left of her money and handed it to the man, instructing him to 'keep the change' (not that there was much to keep, anyway).

Walking up the steps to the house, Chaeyoung unlocked the door and slipped inside, careful to shut it again behind her, "Hello?" She spoke, when no usual grunt of disapproval greeted her the second she stepped through the door, "You home?"

A noise of some sort- the Australian couldn't make out whether it was man or monkey- came from upstairs, and Chaeyoung went to investigate. She clutched the avocado plush closer to her chest, sneaking quietly upstairs, before finding herself stood outside Jennie's door, "Jennie?" She knocked.

When there was no answer, Chaeyoung knocked once more before finally stepping inside. Jennie's room was different than what she expected: more homier than what she would've thought it to be. The walls were painted sky blue and decorated with elegant, fluffy white clouds. The ceiling was jet black with pale dots, obviously representing the stars that twinkled in the everlasting sky above.

Jennie's bed was grey (no surprise there) with two dog plushes there. Each plush had a name stitched on its foot (the fluffier of the two named Kuma and the other called Kai) which definitely caught Chaeyoung off guard; she hadn't taken Jennie as the type who sleeps with teddies. She reached out and stroked Kuma, enjoying the feel of the material on her fingers-

"What are you doing?" Chaeyoung jumped on the spot, her body tensing at the sound of Jennie's voice from behind her. She turned to the elder girl, finding her clad in a cotton dressing gown with her long, brown hair hanging in threads that framed her face, "Are you touching my stuff?"

She huffed and stalked over to the bed, grumbling to herself as she snatched Kuma away from Chaeyoung's hand and picked up Kai softly, as if the plush were made of glass, "Who said you could come in here? Just because your date went well doesn't mean you get a free pass at invading my privacy."

"I- I heard some weird noise and I wanted to make sure you were okay." Chaeyoung looked to her feet as she stammered a response, feeling a blush rise to her cheeks as she squeezed her own avocado plush, missing the feel of Kuma's... 'fur', "And what makes you think I was on a date."

"You could atleast hide the plush and pretend you were out job hunting." Jennie let out a sigh and placed the two dogs on an oak dresser, carefully checking they were still in perfect condition, before directing her attention back to her roommate, "And about the noise: probably the pipes. They've been acting up for a while now- get used to it."

Chaeyoung felt her ears burn at being caught, "I'll look tomorrow. I promise. The thing with the pipes: isn't that something you should tell the landlady about?"

"I have. Repeatedly. Jisoo always says she'll fix it, but everytime she tries they just get worse. I've decided it's best to leave it at this point." The woman sat down atop the bed and ran her fingers through her hair, organizing it all gently to one side of her head, "Now you know I'm alive and not brutally murdered- would you mind leaving so I can dry my hair in peace?"

Nodding, Chaeyoung slowly retreated, "Right. Sorry." She reached for the door, hesitating for a moment when she heard Jennie speak her name once again. 

"Thank you for checking on me, though. And if you don't have a job by next week your ass is on the street."

Despite the threat, Chaeyoung smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was bored so i uploaded another lmao


	8. HIRING

"I seriously have no clue what to do, Lis." Chaeyoung ran a hand through her strawberry hair, sighing in exhaustion as she and Lisa loitered around the bus stop, earning annoyed looks from those older than them and amazed ones from the toddlers, "I have no fucking money... at all. I can't even afford to get my hair re-dyed professionally."

The Thai girl snorted, "Leave it. Your hair." She quickly clarified and Chaeyoung couldn't help but give a wry smile, proud that Lisa's English was improving quickly. Rosie had been giving the younger girl Korean lessons over the past week, but because they were being taught in English she was also picking up on the other language, too. Maybe after that Lisa could teach her Thai, and they could keep trading languages until they were fluent in them all. A childish dream, but who knows?

"I look stupid with black roots and the rest of it is pink. Maybe I should just dye it myself with one of those cheap box dyes: you could help!" Chaeyoung squealed at the thought of a girls' night, just her and Lisa (maybe Jennie if she felt like it) with a huge bag of popcorn and an infinite amount of horror movies. And when they finally grew bored of that they could do eachothers' makeup and Lisa could dye Chaeyoung's hair! Just like her and Alice had done when they were younger...

Chaeyoung shook her head to rid the thought of her sister from invading her mind, not quite on speaking terms on her after the phone call a few days ago where she'd chewed her out for calling late- it was so dumb! She was punishing Rosie for not talking with her by forcing Chaeyoung to not talk to her. How was that logical? 

Her parents, on the other hand, were more happy than annoyed. They were just glad to know she was okay and that things were going fine- well, as fine as having a roommate that seems to be hot and cold with you and being unemployed can be. The trio had been on call for about an hour before Park Hyowong herself had kicked Chaeyoung off, telling her it was late and that she should be sleeping. Jae-Won, her father, had been much more reluctant to let his daughter go, but he had agreed she should be sleeping and they bid her a goodnight full of love and wishes.

It was meant to help both parties, but instead it had only made Chaeyoung feel more home-sick than before.

"No thanks." Lisa raised her hands and backed away slightly, accidentally bumping into a passing businessman that only gave her a death glare when she dared apologise whilst looking into his stone cold eyes, "What should do?"

"'What should we do', Lisa." Rosie corrected, holding back a laugh at the sullen look on her friend's face before stroking her arm softly, "Hey, it's okay. You can't learn a language in a day- and you're doing amazing as it is."

The Thai girl nodded, still slightly unsure but feeling a bit better by Chaeyoung's reassurances, "Park?" She asked, referring to the park where the two girls had first gone for ice cream together and had gotten to know one another. It seemed to be Lisa's favourite place as whenever they went out, which was a lot, she suggested going there.

Shrugging, Chaeyoung just nodded and let Lisa guide her back to the familiar entrance of the park, the Thai girl more familiar with Seoul than the Korean herself, "It's so pretty here." Rosie spoke in wonder, watching as other families lay down on blankets atop the vibrant grass, kids and pets playing with one another in a state of blissful ignorance to the cruel world around them, their parents protecting them from it for as long as they could, "It's like a painting."

She turned to Lisa, seeing her snapping a shot of the picture-perfect scene around them with a digital camera, forever encapturing the moment. When she noticed Chaeyoung leering over the camera, the Thai gave a bashful smile and showed her the snapshot that somehow managed to trap the feeling of innocent fun in a single view, "Wow." The word fell from her mouth, "How you haven't been snatched up by some company yet is beyond me."

"Actually..." Lisa trailed, biting the inside of her cheek anxiously.

"What? You've been hired?" Chaeyoung threw her arms around the Thai, squeezing her tightly, "That's amazing, Lisa! Why didn't you tell me, though?" She didn't pull away until Lisa practically squirmed out of her grip, wriggling like a worm.

"You don't have job..."

"I'd still be proud of you! Come on, we're doing something to celebrate." The Australian took Lisa by her hand and gently tugged her through the park, swerving round oncoming children and frantic parents rushing to keep up with them, "Anything particular you want to do?"

The Thai girl mumbled something under her breath, but when Chaeyoung inquired she spoke a slightly louder, "Nothing." Before going back to taking pictures of whatever caught her eye at any moment. She was always ready to take a quick shot, her camera hung round her neck and her right index finger twitching on the shutter, eager to put the expensive camera to use.

"How about the carousel?" Rosie asked, but by the time Lisa could stammer out a yes she had already dragged the two of them into the queue, money ready in her palm. Most of the people in line were overeager kids and their grumbling parents, hands too tight around their money. 

It didn't take long for Chaeyoung and Lisa to get to the front of the line and to pay, receiving a robotic 'have fun' from the woman that had practically scammed them as the two climbed up the steps to where the horses were, "You want a carriage or a horse?"

"Horse." Lisa nodded adamantly, already jumping up onto a cool, plastic horse painted a cheap white colour that had been scratched up by dozens of reckless teenagers that hung out here in the night, leaving beer cans as the evidence they'd been there. Chaeyoung shrugged impassively at the answer and hitched herself up on the pink horse next to Lisa's own, hers probably more roughed up than the Thai's.

When the spaces were all full a whiny bell rung and the horses slowly started to bob up and down as they began to spin with more speed. Chaeyoung clung on for her life, petrified of falling off and regretting suggesting the carousel, whereas Lisa cheered and shouted for the horses to go faster.

"I'm gonna throw up." Chaeyoung queazed, reaching out for Lisa's hand and squeezing it when the Thai girl interlocked their fingers, "Why is it going so fast?" The carousel was going much faster than those back in her home country, almost turning everything around them in a blur. Or, that was how Chaeyoung thought it was going.

In reality, the horses were spinning as fast as they would at any other fair, "Steady, Rosie." Lisa assured, looking back to Chaeyoung and seeing her clutching the bar holding the plastic horse up as if she would die if she didn't, "It's ending soon."

By the time the horses slowed and the carousel stopped spinning, Chaeyoung staggered off the ride and almost fell over, "Are you okay?" Lisa asked, looping her arm around Rosie's waist so that if she fell she would be safe, "Do you wanna sit down."

She felt a droplet of water trickle down her face and looked up, spotting grey clouds above her as more rain dripped onto her face, "We should find some shelter; it looks like a storm is coming." 

Chaeyoung nodded and looked up too, the grey clouds of South Korea contrasting the usually sunny skies of Melbourne back home, "Yeah." Why couldn't she stop comparing everything to Australia? Was there something wrong with her? She'd come all the way to South Korea to get a clear space of mind for her first ever book, and it just seemed like she'd clouded her head even more, "How about that café?" She pointed over to a small coffee shop named 'Honey Pots' visible just outside of the park entrance.

Nodding, Lisa guided the Australian out of the park and into the streets, crossing only when the lights turn red and all the cars came to a stop. She nodded politely at the drivers as she and Chaeyoung ran into the café, the brutal onslaught of rain reminding the Korean of her first day in Seoul.

She pushed the door open, squeezing past a couple of people queueing up for their drinks and finding a small table for two. Lisa took a seat infront of Chaeyoung and grabbed a menu, her eyes immediately looking to the hot drinks. The Thai wasn't a big fan of warm drinks but she settled on green tea, asking Chaeyoung what she wanted to drink.

"A hot chocolate, please."

Rosie had been a fan of hot chocolates since she was just a kid. Whenever her family had adult guests around and her mother would ask if they wanted a brew, she'd always make sure to request a hot chocolate: her mother made them the best. She wondered if 'Honey Pots' could even measure up, "Do they serve hot cross buns?" She asked hopefully, looking through her eyelashes at the Thai girl.

"Yeah, want one?"

"Mhm."

Lisa nodded and lined up in the ever-dwindling line of queuers, watching Chaeyoung from the corner of her eye as the elder girl surveyed her surroundings. When she reached the front of the line, she allowed her eyes to look the barista up and down. The girl had short, shoulder-length brown hair and a dainty nose with small lips, "What can I get for you?" She asked impassively, looking down her nose to the notepad where she would be taking their order.

"Can I have green tea, a hot chocolate and hot cross bun?" Lisa looked down to the barista's nametag, her nose scrunching when she noticed the unfamiliar name. 'Yeri'... she'd have to ask Rosie about that one, "Table thirteen."

Yeri nodded, not bothering to ask for the size as she scribbled down the order and handed it to another barista, "That'll be nine thousand won." She quickly snatched the money that Lisa held out and placed it in the register, "Jackson- table number thirteen." She gave Lisa a look, signalling for her to move along and let the rest of the customers flow.

Were all people in Seoul so rude?

Lisa took her receipt and went back to her table, noticing Chaeyoung staring out onto the slippery streets, watching as passing by men and women either ran for shelter or frollicked in the rain: there was no inbetween, "Something wrong?" She asked, propping her chin on her fist.

"Still homesick, is all." Chaeyoung turned back to Lisa, trying to put on a smile for the girl, "I saw a hiring sign hanging in the window. You think I should apply?"

"That's amazing!" Lisa smiled, hearing her table number being called and assuming a waiter would be over soon, "It'd be great. Temporary, right?" Come to think of it, Chaeyoung hadn't really told Lisa about what she wanted to do with her life. The girl was still young, obviously- oh God Lisa didn't know her birthday, she didn't know anything important about this girl! 

The horrific thought raged through her mind even as the waiter steered their way, their eyes trained on the tray that was carrying two steaming cups and one hot cross bun, to the point where Lisa didn't notice them.

"One green tea, one hot chocolate, and one..." The waiter trailed off, her eyes darting to the girl sat across from Lisa. Chaeyoung's mouth was slightly open, obviously not expecting to see her there, "Chaeyoung."

"Jennie?"


	9. FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING

Chaeyoung waited anxiously on the couch, her laptop rested on her knees with an open word document, but she was too nervous to write. After the encounter with Jennie in the café, Chaeyoung had become intent on looking everywhere but the other woman, and Jennie made it apparent that she had been avoiding Chaeyoung. As soon as Lisa and Chaeyoung were finished with their drinks, the Australian had quickly dropped off her resumé and left.

It was currently seven in the evening, and Jennie still hadn't gotten back. Chaeyoung didn't exactly know what time her shift was supposed to end, but seeing as Jennie had left quite early it was obvious it wasn't meant to be this late.

Chaeyoung weighed calling the café in her mind, wondering if it would make her seem like a nuisance (and decrease her chances of getting the job) or if Jennie would actually start to like her more. Luckily, she didn't get the chance to pick up her phone before she heard the front door open and then shut.

"Jennie?" She asked curiously, looking up from the blank word document on her laptop screen. A low grunt of acknowledgement was Chaeyoung's response, settling her nerves but increasing her confusion, "You need some help?"

She didn't wait for a response before placing her laptop off her thighs and on the sofa, quickly getting up to help Jennie by the doorway. The elder woman was bent over slightly, her hands wrapped tight around her stomach as she groaned in pain, "I'm fine." Jennie insisted, immediately rising (but faltering slightly) when she saw Chaeyoung.

Chaeyoung looked dubiously, taking in Jennie's appearance. The girl couldn't seem to pull her hands away from her stomach, her back hunching every now and then as if she were being stabbed. Suddenly, she understood. Chaeyoung gave a quick nod before running up the stairs, immediately going into her room and scouring through her half-unpacked suitcase.

When she spotted the baby-pink hot waterbottle, she grabbed it and rushed back downstairs and into the kitchen. Now the question was, did Jennie have a kettle? Fortunately, the answer was yes. The water boiled quickly as Chaeyoung tapped her foot, impatient despite the kettle's speed. As soon as it was ready, she poured the boiling water into the bottle and closed it.

Chaeyoung emerged from the kitchen, now finding Jennie laying down on the couch (just next to her laptop) instead of hunched over in the doorway. Maybe Chaeyoung would've been a little happier if Jennie hadn't opened up the first chapter of her book and started reading it, "What are you doing?"

The brunette jumped slightly, her head snapping to where Chaeyoung stood. Jennie's eyes were harsh, at first, but they immediately softened when she spotted the hot water bottle in her roommate's hands, "I was just... reading." She bowed her head, ashamed that she'd completely disregarded Chaeyoung's words from a few nights ago.

Nodding, Chaeyoung grabbed the monitor and closed it, a frown etched into her face. She didn't say anything as she handed Jennie the water bottle, instead preferring to show her feelings by closing herself off.

There was silence between the two, Jennie not knowing what to say and Chaeyoung not wanting her to say anything at all. Unfortunately, Chaeyoung's wants were not fulfilled, as Jennie eventually spoke quietly, "It was really good. " 

Chaeyoung turned to Jennie, puzzled by the words: that was the first time she'd ever gotten praise for her writing (although she'd never actually shown it to anyone else) and for some reason the words made her heart flutter more than they maybe should have, "Really?" The feeling of betrayal was forgotten, instead replaced with the feeling of her heart ramming against her ribs with every fast-paced beat.

Jennie nodded slowly, but it quickly became more eager as a wide smile began to show itself on her face, "Mhm. I really like the tension you show between the main characters, it's really obvious that something's growing between them even from the start."

Jennie spoke as if she were excited at the thought of a relationship between the two. And from the giddy shake of her voice and the light jittering of her leg- she was.

Well that was a first.

Just when Chaeyoung thought Jennie couldn't get any better, the girl continued, "And I really like how there's already an established link between them that they don't know about- because of the woman on the plane. Am I getting this right? Just tell me if I'm wrong-"

Chaeyoung laughed, one of the first genuine ones that she'd ever showed to her roommate, and took a seat next to Jennie, placing a hand on the girl's knee. Jennie shuffled, and Chaeyoung quickly pulled back: maybe she'd acted a bit too fast, "No." She ignored the air of awkwardness that her action had caused, "That's exactly what I was going for."

"Whew." Jennie let out a sigh of relief, gladly taking the hot water bottle (that Chaeyoung was now gladly offering her) and holding it against her stomach, "I was worried that I'd gotten it all wrong and would be sounding like an absolute idiot to you."

Relieved, Jennie let out a sigh, her eyes fluttering shut now that the pain around her stomach was now quelled. She quickly blinked them open once again, looking back to Chaeyoung, "Have you written anything more?"

Chaeyoung stared in surprise, unaccustomed to people actually wanting to read more of what she had written. She remembered when she had once dreamed of being an esteemed author, all the way back in college, but when she had showed her writing to her teacher all Chaeyoung had gotten was a laugh and a few words of how she should just focus on getting a law degree.

Joke's on you, Mrs Campbell: I did neither.

Well, maybe not something to use as a one-up, but it was all Chaeyoung really had. She blinked heavily, suddenly realising that she had zoned out on Jennie, "I have a drabble, if you could even call it that."

"Can I read it?"

Chaeyoung gulped heavily, images of Jennie fulfilling those scenes that had once been mere imaginations flooding her mind. She blushed furiously, squeezing her lips together, before letting out a sharp breath and replying, "It's a bit... risqué. " 

(Risqué was sort of an understatement for what she had written).

"Oh." Jennie looked at Chaeyoung, seemingly dazed by the idea of her roommate, the girl that she had only really thought of as an over-eager dreamer with the same amount of sexual experience as a catholic schoolgirl, even thinking about such thoughts.

"Yeah..."

Chaeyoung trailed off awkwardly, the entire subject making her feel uncomfortable. She wasn't even friends with Jennie: they had no reason to be talking about such intimate things with one another. She struggled to find the words that would rid the air of the (sexual?) tension that it was now flooded with.

Just as she was about to call it a night and escape from Jennie's critical gaze, Chaeyoung was interrupted by her roommate's shocking words, "So... are you, like, gay?"

Chaeyoung's mouth almost fell open at Jennie's upfront question, her mind struggling to comprehend how someone could ask that so casually. She let out some strange mix of a whine and a noise that a dying animal would let out. Jennie raised an eyebrow at the 'response'l waiting for the answer.

"Um... yes?"

A nod was the only reply Chaeyoung received, and the girl was left wondering if it was meant as judgemental or accepting. She stared at Jennie for a moment, praying that the girl would give her some much-need clarification. 

When it became obvious she wouldn't, Chaeyoung could only give a small grunt and a stiff nod herself, eyeing the stairs up to her room that were suddenly looking all-the-more appealing to her, "Alright." She finally croaked out, already shuffling to the living room door, "I'm going to, uh, go to bed."

"It's only seven, though."

Chaeyoung refused to look at Jennie, instead keeping her gaze on the floor.

"I know."

A silence fell between the two girls as Chaeyoung found herself busy trying to make all the carpet fibres go the same way and Jennie became incredibly interested with the pink shade of her roommate's water bottle, "Goodnight."

Chaeyoung seemed surprise by Jennie's sudden words, and she finally looked up. The two made eye contact for a moment, Jennie's eyes tired (and was that some understanding?) whereas Chaeyoung's eyes were soft, her heart warmed by the words.

"Goodnight, Jen."

\-----

The next morning was one of the few mornings where Chaeyoung woke up with Jennie in the house. She had walked downstairs, surprised to find Jennie sat by the breakfast bar and on the phone. What was even more surprising, however, was the giggles that the elder girl was letting out and the cheesy grin on her face.

Chaeyoung looked curiously as she opened the cupboard, finding it nearly bare except for a box of shreddies that looked incredibly unappealing. How did Jennie ever survive in this house? Yet again, Chaeyoung wasn't exactly a picky eater (infact, she was probably the exact opposite), so she, slightly hesitant, put some in a bowl.

The milk, however, was something Chaeyoung would refuse to put anywhere near her mouth. When she had opened the carton, her first reaction had been for her face to contort in disgust as she gagged at the mere smell. Jennie seemed to smell it too, as she visibly scrunched her nose.

The smile on her face did not leave.

Chaeyoung decided to settle on dry- incredibly dry- shreddies and no milk. For a brief moment, she had thought of substituting it with water, but she quickly became disgusted with her own idea. Afterall, what psychopath would do that?

Taking the bowl, Chaeyoung sat on the stool next to Jennie, mouthing a 'who are you talking to?' in her roommate's direction. Jennie, though- being the absolute ray of sunshine she is- just rolled her eyes and continued to laugh at some joke that Chaeyoung was certain wasn't as funny as she was making it out to be.

So she was playing that game, was she?

Well, two could play.

Chaeyoung grabbed her phone and dialled Lisa, glaring at Jennie from the corner of her eye as she did so. When Lisa eventually picked up, Chaeyoung plastered an exaggerated smile on her face and practically shouted, "Hey, Lis!"

"Why you shouting so early?" Lisa asked groggily, obviously having just woken up- probably because Chaeyoung had called her. Chaeyoung, now feeling bad, looked over to Jennie for a second, finding her unbothered and still on the phone.

"Sorry." Chaeyoung apologised quickly, this time talking at a normal volume, "I'm just eating breakfast with Jennie."

The mentioned girl shot Chaeyoung a look from her side-eye, frowning slightly as she continued to natter away with the person she was on the phone to. Chaeyoung grumbled at how easily Jennie seemed to dismiss her after she'd been all over her (writing) the other night.

So, she continued to chat loudly with Lisa, gauging every now and then to see if Jennie had reacted. Why? Why did Chaeyoung have such a need for approval from Jennie? Was it because she was older- because she happened to be pretty? Chaeyoung ignored the simple answer that immediately shot into her mind, the one that she wrote about all the time when her characters first met: that same, electrifying spark that would eventually lead into a much bigger flame.

Eventually, Jennie hung up and Chaeyoung did the same a few minutes after. She had completely forgotten about her bowl of shreddies at this point, instead completely focussed on getting Jennie to pay attention to her.

"So..." She turned to her roommate, seeing Jennie squint her eyes slightly, clearly unamused by Chaeyoung's antics. Atleast she had acknowledged her, "Who were you talking to?"

"My mum."

Chaeyoung choked, but before she could respond Jennie beat her to it.

"I would ask the same, but you were talking so loud that it was obvious."


	10. SETTLING DOWN

Chaeyoung was late.

But even as she dashed out of the front door, being sure to lock it behind her, that wasn't the main thought rushing through her mind: it was that Jennie hadn't even bothered to wake her. Maybe Chaeyoung had ruined what she had thought to be a blooming friendship a couple days ago, irritating Jennie whilst she was on the phone with her mother, but Chaeyoung thought she could atleast play nice.

Plus, it was such a petty move. Totally not cool. Chaeyoung thought that any decent person would wake up their roommate for their job at the same place on the same shift- but hey, that was just her.

She grumbled to herself as she begun the brisk walk down to Honey Pots, suddenly feeling as though she'd left something behind. Had Chaeyoung turned the straighteners off? No- she didn't even own straighteners. What about the stove? Oh wait, she hadn't used that in all her time at her new home.

Maybe the nerves were caused by something else, but Chaeyoung pushed that thought to the back of her mind and continued her journey. She checked her phone, finding herself later than she had thought, and let out a heavy sigh: she was going to have to.

Reluctantly, Chaeyoung picked up her pace, pushing her legs against the pavement until she was running past bypassers, apologising whenever she brushed into someone particularly hard. By the time she arrived outside the café, her legs were burning and she was out of breath.

She quickly rushed in, knowing that by now she was more than half an hour late, and the manager, a slightly older woman that was known as Solar in the café, was looking as if she was about to chew her up and spit her out.

Chaeyoung apologised bashfully, bustling into the locker room and grabbing her apron. As she tied it round the back, she couldn't help but feel angry at Jennie for not so much as bothering to help her. So, when the woman herself came into the locker room, laughing at something with Yeri, Chaeyoung had felt a sudden burst of annoyance at how she seemed to disregard her presence altogether. 

She coughed loudly, causing the two girls to cast an annoyed look in Chaeyoung's direction. Jennie rolled her eyes, saying goodbye to Yeri as the girl went back out to carry on with her shift. The elder girl scoffed, reaching into her locker and grabbing a cardigan, but when she felt Chaeyoung's stare still burning into her skull, Jennie snapped.

"What?" 

Chaeyoung recoiled for a moment but she quickly built herself back up again, straightening her stature in a pathetic attempt to gain some higher ground on Jennie, "What you did today wasn't cool." 

Jennie slammed her locker shut and turned to face her roommate, her look so soft to the point where the unfamiliar expression unnerved Chaeyoung, "I don't know what you mean." 

"Really, Jennie? You let me oversleep, not even a knock or an attempt to wake me up, whilst you went straight to work. And now, you don't even feel bad about it." Chaeyoung's voice seemed to raise with every sentence, and part of her expected steam to fume out of her own ears.

The seriousness of Chaeyoung's words seemed to rattle Jennie, not used to seeing the usually bright girl angry in any way. Nevertheless, Jennie quickly steeled her face and merely quirked an eyebrow, "I'm not your mother, Chaeyoung. And I think the sooner you realise that- the sooner we can start to see eye to eye."

"What about a couple days back?" Chaeyoung threw her hands in the air, utterly exasperated by Jennie's hot-then-cold attitude, "What about when I showed you my writing? You're the only person I've showed my work to in years, you do know that- right?"

"I know."

"Well then why won't you just be nice to me?"

By this point, Chaeyoung's throat was beginning to clog up. She felt that with one more word she'd burst into uncontrollable sobs, and she could already feel the tears prick at the corners of her eyes.

"Because you seem to act like a child all the damn time! What on Earth was that thing yesterday when I was calling my mum; do you want to ruin my life, because that's how it's looking, Chaeyoung-"

The locker-room door was gently opened, and Jongin, one of the baristas, peeked his head in, holding a hand over his eyes in case anyone was changing.

"Jongin- it's fine: we're both decent here." Jennie turned her back to Chaeyoung, unable to look her in the eyes after the sudden outburst. Chaeyoung felt the same, but this time the tears were no longer just pricking her eyes.

Instead, they were falling in a seemingly never-ending stream of heart-ache and dejection. She wiped her cheeks, desperate to stop Jongin from seeing the evidence of just how deeply Jennie's words had wounded her.

Unfortunately, it seemed as though he already had, as when Chaeyoung looked up to meet his eyes, all she could see was pity: she hated it, "What do you want?" The words probably came out snappier than Chaeyoung had intended, but Jongin didn't seem to mind. He seemed to understand.

"I was just gonna say that you guys should probably keep it down: the customers can hear you, and Solar doesn't seem to happy."

Chaeyoung nodded, watching as Jongin ducked his head back out, the door slowly shutting behind him. She gave Jennie a look, trying to stop the stream of tears as Jennie finally faced her again.

"Do you even know the answer?" Jennie's voice was barely above a whisper, but she said nothing else before quickly brushing past Chaeyoung and out into the café. When the door finally shut behind her, Chaeyoung let out a heavy sigh and let her eyes flicker to Jennie's locker.

"I just wanted your attention."

And that's what she'd gotten.

\-----

Chaeyoung had worked late that day, doing anything to not have to go back home and see Jennie. She couldn't find it in herself to ever see her again, nevermind everyday for the next year or so. 

Solar had seemed to notice, as Chaeyoung was still in the café even two hours after closing. The manager sighed, watching as the new employee milled around the tables that she had already cleaned half an hour ago, and then half an hour before that aswell.

"Chaeyoung." She finally spoke, interrupting the younger girl from her reverie, "Why are you still here? Everyone else left over an hour ago- and last time I checked I wasn't planning on paying you for these after-hours."

"I just wanna work." Chaeyoung shrugged, turning back to the tables so that Solar wouldn't see the blush beginning to bloom on her cheeks- she never had been the best at lying.

Solar immediately saw through Chaeyoung's words, and she resisted the urge to smack her up the back of the head: everything had been so very obvious from the moment she first saw them interact.

"Go home."

"But-"

"Go. Home."

Reluctantly, Chaeyoung had gathered her belongings and said goodbye to Solar, grumbling something under her breath as she left Honey Pots. The cold air nipped at her bare skin as she walked back to her house, and Chaeyoung wondered if the world seemed to have it out for her when rain slowly began to fall.

Great. First off, I was late. Secondly, Jennie officially hates me. And now? Now it's raining.

Chaeyoung rummaged through her pockets, checking to see if she had any money on her to call a cab. She picked up her pace when she realised she didn't, knowing that she'd have to try and beat the steady rain before it started chucking it down.

Fortunately, the streets were nearly empty: it looked like everyone had wised up when the clouds had started to darken. Everyone but Chaeyoung, of course. Chaeyoung looked up at the sky nervously as she crossed the road, the raindrops slowly becoming more violent and unforgiving against her skin.

By the time Chaeyoung reached her house, her pink hair was plastered to her forehead and she was absolutely drenched in rain. Her white blouse clung to her chest, offering a pleasant view to the homeless men sat nearby the apartments (although Chaeyoung had tried her hardest to cover herself).

She fiddled with her keys, barely managing to slip them into the lock, before stumbling through the front door. Chaeyoung slammed it shut behind her, breathing out deeply in relief. But the relief quickly changed to confusion when she heard laughing come from the living room- one unfamiliar, and the other ...Chaeyoung had only heard it once or twice.

Jennie?

She slipped off her shoes before walking into the living room, gazing curiously at Jennie's face and the back of an unfamiliar man. The two were deep into a game of monopoly, but you would have to be blind not to feel the tension in the air.

She almost felt bad to interrupt their little love-fest. Almost.

"Hey."

Jennie's head snapped up at the sound of Chaeyoung, and the man too turned around, revealing himself to be Jongin. Chaeyoung's heart leaped, noticing him completely dry. Either he'd been here for a while or he'd taken a shower: she wasn't sure which one she hoped it was.

Chaeyoung looked back to Jennie with hurt eyes, their gazes meeting in a confused mix of annoyance and anger (and did Chaeyoung see some guilt mixed in? Impossible).

"Hey, Chaeyoung!" Jongin waved, completely oblivious to the wordless battle between the two women, "Wanna join?"

The Australian's gaze snapped from Jennie and instead to Jongin, her eyes immediately melting as she plastered a smile on her face, "No thanks, Jongin." She picked up her laptop from the sofa, memories of Jennie reading Chaeyoung's story flooding her mind, "You two can carry on: I'll be upstairs."

"Actually..." Jongin climbed to his feet and checked his watch, his eyes widening at the time, "I should probably head off: early shift tomorrow, you know how it is."

Jennie nodded and stood up, the game of monopoly looking to be completely forgotten (although to Chaeyoung it seemed to never have even been there in the first place). She leaned into Jongin, and the two hugged awkwardly, Jongin looking as though he'd been going in for a kiss, and Jennie looking as though she wished she'd taken it.

Chaeyoung watched, saying nothing as the man said one last goodbye to her before grabbing his coat and walking out the door, leaving Jennie and her in utter, unbearable silence.

No more words were said that night.


	11. I'M A NICE GUY

Jennie Kim was a hurricane.

Everywhere she went she swept people off their feet, knocking them onto the floor so fast that they didn't have a clue what hit them. Park Chaeyoung was no exception to the 'Jennie effect', and that was something the girl had taken note of.

Jennie found it utterly baffling as to why Chaeyoung seemed to lose all her words whenever she walked in the room, but another part of her enjoyed the unwanted effect she had on the girl. Although, it was quite irritating how the girl also seemed to act like a juvenile whenever they happened to share a conversation.

She didn't know why she chose not to wake up Chaeyoung that day, but Jennie had walked to work that same morning with a nagging feeling in her stomach, telling her to go back before she ruined all chances of friendship with the girl.

That's all Jennie had ever wanted in the end, really: to be friends.

But her social anxiety and tendency to hide her feelings away had messed everything all up, so after work, when Chaeyoung had arrived back from a late shift, she had found herself at a lack of words.

"I'm sorry." Had been the ones that came to mind, but that's where they stayed.

That night, Jennie had went out into the depths of Seoul and met up with Joohyun, the girl having called earlier with promises of great news. She'd pulled out a black dress from the back of her closet and slipped it on, memories of her partying days rushing back to her.

Her phone dinged just as Jennie was applying her tan lipstick, and it was a message from Joohyun saying she'd be waiting at the BlackVelvet bar: a spot that they frequented back in their college days.

It sent Jennie a wave of memories that she had once left to collect dust in the back of her mind, but now she was here, images of herself and Seulgi doing body shots off Joohyun as Wendy recorded, laughing about how Seulgi seemed a bit too comfortable (turns out she'd be right three years later).

Jennie smiled fondly at the memory, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach when a specific memory of her and Taehyung, one of her old high-school friends, making out in the alleyway (the two would later start a friends-with-benefits relationship before calling it off after Taehyung discovered that girls just didn't do it for him).

She missed the times, but she was happy that he'd took the time to discover himself, and now he was engaged. Jennie cleared her mind of the pleasant thoughts, remembering that she had places to be and people to see, before slipping her phone into her handbag and slinging it over her shoulder.

She looked in the mirror one last time, adjusting the straps of the tight black dress that was somehow still too small for her. Satisfied with her appearance, she slipped out the door and shut it behind her, groaning in annoyance when it got stuck on the carpet. Really, Jisoo? You had one job.

Jennie eventually shut the door before she went downstairs and slipped her shoes on, keeping an ear open for any signs that Chaeyoung was coming. Fortunately, the only thing she could hear was the sound of typing and small mumbles; she was in the clear.

Just as she opened the door, Jennie felt a dip in her stomach, and for some reason she decided to shout, "I'm going out." Before she rushed out the door and locked it behind her, not knowing why she felt the need to tell Chaeyoung that.

However, the action seemed to bring a sudden epiphany, as now Jennie knew that she needed to apologise for this morning.

With newfound content, Jennie begun her walk to the club, with a spring in her step and a skip in her heart: maybe this night wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

\-----

Okay. Now you wouldn't often hear Jennie Kim admit this, but now she felt like she had to: she was dead wrong. 

Where to start? First of all, Jennie had arrived at the club much later than she wanted. Infact, it was around ten when she actually got there. And when she did finally arrive, she had found Joohyun and Seulgi sat in a booth, already making out, whereas Wendy was talking to Nayeon, another one of their friends from college, and Yeri was sat on her phone, looking incredibly bored. This wouldn't have been too bad if the second she sat down, she didn't get three shots knocked onto her brand new dress.

That was six overtimes' of money down the drain.

Jennie had tried her best to remain positive, despite the fact that the incident should've dampened the entire evening, and had struck up conversation with her friends. Somehow, it had strayed to Jennie's new roommate, and she had been reminded of how much of a bitch she'd been.

Yeri had poked fun at the Australian, laughing about the stories Jennie had told her, and Jennie felt bad: she had judged Chaeyoung before she got to know her. If there was one thing Jennie had taken from her mother's teachings (other than how to dress), it was to always be polite, even to those she didn't like- especially to those she didn't like.

When the time came to dance, Jennie had reluctantly been dragged to her feet by Nayeon. As dragging seconds passed into fleeting minutes and Jennie started to enjoy herself, she found her happiness ruined when she was approached by a man that had seemed to be eyeing her all night.

He towered over Jennie (although that wasn't hard), and she had to admit he was quite handsome with his raven hair and expensive suit. He looked down at Jennie, and the girl shrunk under his gaze, "Hey," he rasped.

Jennie raised an eyebrow, not expecting that to be the only word that came from his mouth, "Hey?"She questioned dubiously, anticipating a cheesy pick-up line, or something of the sort, to follow. She looked over to Nayeon, finding her chatting to another, slightly taller and older, man.

"Uh, sorry. You're just so beautiful that I forgot my pickup line. I'm Donghyuk, by the way."

And there it was.

Jennie rolled her eyes, suddenly losing any interest (no matter how small) she once had in this conversation, "Thanks. " She spoke, wanting to escape then and there, "I should probably head back to my friends, though." 

She turned away, but a firm hand around her wrist made her stop dead in her tracks. Jennie looked back to Donghyuk, and then down to where he had dare touch her, "Would you mind letting my wrist go?"

"I don't know, would you mind telling me your name?" He smirked despite her fiery gaze, clearly enjoying the 'game' being played between the two of them, "It's only polite."

"Fine." Jennie yanked her wrist away from him as if the mere feeling of his skin against her own was venomous, "I'm Jennie. And I'm leaving."

Donghyuk growled before reaching out once again, this time grabbing Jennie by her shoulder with an iron grip, "Listen here, Jennie. I'm a nice guy, usually, but you're really pushing my fucking buttons at the moment."

"Is there a problem here?"

\-----

Chaeyoung groaned, absolutely bored out of her mind.

After Jennie had left she'd taken another crack at writing, hoping that she would finally be able to concentrate without the distracting task of avoiding Jennie whenever she went down for a snack. Strangely enough, it seemed that without Jennie around, Chaeyoung actually got less work done.

She had no clue what to do. Considering she couldn't write and she hadn't brought her xbox with her to South Korea, Chaeyoung was unaccustomed to having nothing to fall back on. She lolled around on the bed, grumbling about how annoying writer's block was and how she wished she was back in Australia, when the baby pink guitar case in the corner of her bedroom caught her eye.

Chaeyoung bit her lip, suddenly sitting up as she eyed it nervously. Could she? I mean, Chaeyoung remembered how to play, it was the same as riding a bike in the sense you never forgot, but she hadn't done so in almost five years.

She hesitantly stepped up from the bed, slowly walking over to the case. Chaeyoung hadn't even thought about playing since she was rejected from college after auditioning with her favourite song. That was what had pushed her into writing, but it was also what had pushed her away from playing.

Reaching out, Chaeyoung let her fingers glide over the smooth case, smiling at the memories of the guitar that sat inside. She had learned to play the guitar and piano at thirteen after a girl in her church had offered to teach her. That was also when she developed her first crush, but she preferred not to talk about that part.

Chaeyoung had been just fifteen when she had gotten up onstage in her school's talent show and first sung in front of people, performing a song she had written all by herself. When she was finished, it was clear who the winner would be.

She'd been seventeen when she'd told her parents that she wanted to study music and become a musician. And despite the fact they had wanted her to pursue law, they had supported her nonetheless. Infact, that very same day they bought Chaeyoung her first guitar.

The shrill tone of her phone ringing snapped Chaeyoung from her reveries, and she sighed solemnly as she grabbed it from her back pocket. She checked the caller ID, smiling softly when she saw it was Lisa, "Yo."

"Yo? What?"

"It's a greeting. Like hello. Yo." Chaeyoung explained, tearing her eyes away from the guitar case and back to her laptop that sat on her bed, the fan humming softly. She blinked away the tears that blossomed in the corners of her eyes, knowing that if she thought about the past anymore she'd end up balling her eyes out on the phone to Lisa, "Whatever- it doesn't matter. Why are you calling?"

"Can't I just call friend?" Lisa asked, her tone slightly hurt, and Chaeyoung immediately felt even worse than before.

She nodded, despite the fact Lisa couldn't see her, and gulped heavily, "Yeah. Sorry. Of course you can. It's just usually you drop a text before calling."

"Sorry." The silence carried on for a moment as Lisa waited for a response, but Chaeyoung's heart still felt too heavy to form a coherent sentence. Lisa seemed to pick up on the girl's feelings as she cleared her throat and spoke, "Wanna go out?"

"Where to?"

"Surprise. Dress... hot- I'll come in twenty."

Lisa hung up before Chaeyoung could object, and the older girl scoffed, lowering her phone and staring blankly at the screen. She clenched her jaw and looked over to her bathroom, wondering if she had enough time to shower.

With her hair? No way.

Instead, Chaeyoung headed over to her closet, finding it half organised with the rest of her clothes still in the suitcase sat by the door. Dress hot... what the hell does that mean? Chaeyoung ran her hands along her clothes, sighing as she imagined each of them on her body.

Her favourite neon dress was always an option. The last time she'd worn it out, she'd had dozens of people hit on her. Then again, she had no clue where Lisa was taking her: it was best to wear something a bit more discreet.

Her eyes landed on one of her more recent purchases: a crimson crop top with slightly frilly sleeves and a zip starting halfway up. Chaeyoung grabbed the choker that went with it and dropped the clothes on her bed, starting her look for a pair of shorts to match. She finally settled on a black pair that stopped halfway up her thighs, and she grabbed some knee-high white fishnets to complete the look.

Chaeyoung checked the time, seeing ten minutes had already passed and she hadn't even gotten changed, nevermind done her hair or makeup. She quickly undressed and slipped into the outfit, finding it a bit more difficult than she remembered to get into the shorts that practically became a second skin when she put them on.

A knock on the door alerted Chaeyoung to the fact that she was still no way near ready, and she ran downstairs to answer, "Hey." She greeted, out of breath when she opened the door to Lisa and found her standing outside.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to Lisa's outfit, and Chaeyoung's jaw dropped with how beautiful the girl appeared. She was wearing white joggers and a black belt was draped around her, the majority of it hanging off because of how small Lisa's waist was. Lisa was also dressed in a skin-tight black crop-top that was bejewelled with sequins, and she had finished the flashy look with a shiny pair of boots and large hoop earrings.

"You look great."

"Thanks. You too."

Chaeyoung stepped aside, letting Lisa into the house, "Sorry I'm not ready yet: it took me a while to pick out my outfit. Let me just go do my hair and makeup and then we can head out."

"Want help?" Lisa slipped her boots off, smiling earnestly at her friend. Chaeyoung just nodded, figuring if Lisa helped then the two of them could get out of there quicker and she could forget about everything.

The two walked upstairs hand-in-hand, and Chaeyoung giggled at Lisa's slight blush from the skin on skin contact. Even as Lisa did Chaeyoung's makeup, there was a comfortable silence between the two, "Close your eyes." Lisa spoke softly, watching as Chaeyoung's immediately obeyed.

The Thai girl took her time to apply the eyeshadow, spending most of it trying to memorise every inch of Chaeyoung's face. She didn't even know why she was doing her makeup: Chaeyoung was already perfect. Lisa smiled at the girl, swiping the brush gently on Chaeyoung's skin, "Open."

Chaeyoung's eyes fluttered open, and Lisa smiled at how innocent she looked at that very moment. The two sat there for what seemed to be an eternity, but in reality it was only a few seconds, before Lisa closed the palette and smiled, happy with her masterpiece, "All done."

The elder girl turned to the side and looked in the mirror, smiling when she saw her appearance, "Thanks, Lisa. I look amazing." In reality, Lisa hadn't really done much at all. Other than a small bit of lipstick and some eyeshadow, all that beauty was just how God had made her.

"Should we go?" Lisa asked, looking at the time on her phone and seeing they were already twenty minutes later than she wanted.

"What about my hair?"

"Leave it: it looks good."

\-----

"Really, Lis, a club?"

Chaeyoung looked up to the flashy neon sign hung above the entrance, not recognising the name nor the building. She eyed Lisa, not having expected to be taken here of all places.

"Is it that bad? We go somewhere else?" Lisa turned to her, her eyes full of innocence and the need to please.

Chaeyoung's heart ached at the sight and she immediately shook her head, reassuring Lisa that it wasn't bad at all and that she'd be more than happy to spend her evening at some seedy bar where people fucked in alleyways- okay so it was bad, but she'd be more than happy to lie to keep Lisa happy.

The two linked arms as they walked in, the blaring music immediately overpowering the dim sounds of car horns that were heard outside. Lisa smiled and slowly began to bop her head, enjoying the song. Chaeyoung giggled at the sight, and the two girls immediately rushed to the dance floor.

Lisa started off slowly, doing whatever movements came into mind, before her pace increased and she was soon out-dancing everyone in the club. A circle gradually started to form around her, and people cheered as Lisa continued to dance, not paying any attention to the world around her.

Except for that girl.

Chaeyoung was the one thing she was paying attention to.

The same could be said vice-versa, until Chaeyoung heard a faint shouting coming from nearby. She turned away in confusion, looking for whoever was yelling so much, and her eyes widened when she spotted her: Jennie Kim.

Chaeyoung squinted, confused at the sight infront of her. A man was stood behind Jennie, his hand gripping her shoulder tightly as he spat out venomous words. She didn't know what was going on, but she didn't like it. And neither did Jennie.

She slipped away from the crowd of watchers until she was beside Jennie, the elder girl too occupied with the dick infront of her to even notice Chaeyoung was there, "Is there a problem here?" She asked.


	12. JUST GO WITH IT

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> homophobic language included

"What?"

Donghyuk stared at Chaeyoung with eyes and words full of venom. His hand was still firmly clasped around Jennie's, burning into her flesh like a scorching iron rod, even when he turned his attention away from her.

Looking down at the contact, Chaeyoung sneered at the sight of him laying his hands on her roommate. She folded her arms, her mind rushing to think of a way to get the man off of Jennie. She could only think of one.

Chaeyoung looked to Jennie, mouthing the words 'just go with it'. The elder girl tilted her head in confusion, but she nodded nonetheless, just wanting Donghyuk to leave her alone, "I said is there a problem?"

"The problem here is that you won't leave us alone." Donghyuk tightened his grip, his nails visibly digging into Jennie's soft skin. 

Chaeyoung clenched her jaw, trying her best to remain impassive for both Jennie and herself. She let out a shaky breath before replying, "It's hard to do that when you've got your hands on my girlfriend."

Donghyuk recoiled, visibly shocked by Chaeyoung's words, but he recovered not even a second later. He plastered a lecherous grin on his face, sizing Chaeyoung up, "That makes this situation even better."

Shuddering, Chaeyoung reached out and tugged Donghyuk's hand off Jennie's shoulder, "No thank you." She shook her head firmly, taking Jennie's hand and clasping it in her own, "I don't like men... at all."

Raising a brow, Donghyuk was left speechless for a moment. He then gestured to himself, as if it would make any dramatic change to Chaeyoung's sexuality, and spoke, "I'm sure I can change that."

Chaeyoung squirmed uncomfortably, "You wish." She tugged on Jennie's hand, already sensing Donghyuk's escalating temper and wanting to find Lisa and get out of there before he erupted like a volcano.

Jennie conceded, allowing Chaeyoung to lead her away from the man. Or atleast she would've if he hadn't continued to run his mouth, "People like you are ruining our country. You lot are the problem."

"What?"

Jennie turned back around, earning a groan from Chaeyoung as she knew there was no way to avoid the impending argument between them.

Donghyuk smirked at her reaction, and it was then that Lisa decided to join the three. She looked to Chaeyoung, noticing her pained expression, and asked, "What happened?"

Chaeyoung ignored her, too focused on Jennie to pay attention to the world around her. Donghyuk then elaborated on his words, "You know what I mean. Dykes like you are destroying South Korea's honour."

"Jennie, just leave it."

But Jennie Kim could never leave anything.

She ripped her hand out of Chaeyoung's, instead using it to land a rage-driven punch to Donghyuk's jaw. At first, Chaeyoung wasn't sure whether the loud crack had been Jennie's knuckles breaking or Donghyuk's jawbone. 

Luckily, it wasn't the first. Unluckily, it also wasn't the second.

Donghyuk clutched his jaw, clearly feeling the effects of Jennie's hit, but if it had done any major damage he didn't show it. He shook his head, as if shaking off the pain, and raised his fist to Jennie.

"Hey, DK."

Another man, the one who was once talking to Nayeon, grabbed Donghyuk's wrist. He looked him in the eye, being greeted with pure malice and rage from Donghyuk, "Best to leave it here, huh?"

Donghyuk snatched his wrist away, his face flushing with anger, "She hit me, Bobby. Do you think I'm just gonna take that from some fucking dyke?"

Nayeon watched from behind Bobby, mouthing a 'sorry' to Jennie despite the fact she'd done nothing wrong. Jennie nodded, understanding that Nayeon had just been on the wrong side at the wrong time, and that emotionally she stood with her.

"Hey, you can't say that." Bobby raised his eyebrows, silently pleading for Donghyuk to leave the situation alone, "Let's just get out of here and go back to the booth, huh?"

Donghyuk clenched his jaw, looking between Jennie, Chaeyoung and Bobby. His veins visibly popped and he felt light-headed from the amount of adrenaline rushing through his body, but he relented. Nodding, Donghyuk let his body slump in defeat, his eyes softening and his heart hammering, "Fine. But only because Hanbin's getting married tomorrow."

"Good man." Bobby slapped Donghyuk's back playfully, watching as he walked back to the booth that he was once sat at. The older man sighed, pinching his nose bridge, as he turned back to face Jennie and Chaeyoung, "Sorry about him. He's been stressed recently because of his best man duties, and I guess he's just not used to getting shot down."

Shrugging, Jennie shot the booth where Donghyuk had sat an impassive look, "That's not an excuse for him to say all those horrible things. Make sure he understands that the next time you talk."

"I know- and I'm not making excuses for him, but just cut him some slack, yeah?"

Jennie opened her mouth to argue, but Chaeyoung beat her to it, figuring that she'd already caused enough arguments as it is, "We will do." She smacked Jennie's arm discreetly, warning her not to say anything else, "Thanks for helping, though."

"No problem." Bobby looked back to his booth, seeing his friends hollering for him to come back and join them, "Guess I better get back." He turned to Nayeon, smiling as she scribbled her number on his hand.

"You two seem perfect for eachother, by the way." Bobby continued, grinning at the other girls.

Lisa watched in confusion, not understanding who (or what) he meant by his statement. She glanced to Chaeyoung and Jennie, seeing them both equally as baffled, "What?" Chaeyoung finally asked what they were all thinking, her head slightly tilted.

"Uh..." Bobby shuffled awkwardly, gesturing to Jennie and Chaeyoung, "Did I hear wrong? I could've sworn I heard her say that the two of you were dating..."

"Oh!" Chaeyoung exclaimed, the look of realisation dawning on her face, "Oh. No, you heard right. Sorry, a bit of a blonde moment. Thanks, but I think we should be heading off. Right, babe?"

Jennie plastered a grin on her face, looking at Chaeyoung as if she were both madly in love with her and furious with her, "Right! It was(n't) nice meeting you, Bobby." She wrapped her arm around Chaeyoung's waist, dragging her away from the man as quickly as she could.

Lisa trailed after them, still clueless to the full situation, "What was that?" She asked, watching as Jennie ran a hand through her hair. She looked between the two, unable to tell if she'd been tricked into thinking they'd been just friends or not.

In the end, had they ever really been just friends?

Shaking her head, Lisa sighed, "Nevermind, don't wanna know." She walked away from them, finding Nayeon and taking the seat Jennie had once held at her booth of friends.

However, neither Jennie nor Chaeyoung seemed to notice Lisa's absence, both too fixated on one another to witness the world around them pass by, "Wanna get out of here?" Chaeyoung cocked her head to the door, a smirk on her face despite the previous situation.

Jennie returned the look, "Let's go."

────

The streets were silent spare the chatter of Jennie and Chaeyoung.

The two girls talked like they were the only ones in the world, not caring how loud they were because there was no one out there to hear them. Even the roads were deserted, not a single car passing by.

Jennie took that as her signal to walk on the road, and Chaeyoung took Jennie's actions as her signal to balance on the curb. The two had decided to go back home, knowing everywhere would be closed and not really in the mood to go out again, but that didn't mean they couldn't have fun.

In the space of the half an hour it took to get back to the apartment, Chaeyoung had learned several things about Jennie. First of all, her dream wasn't actually to be a barista, it was to be a model (of course Chaeyoung had made a joke about the similarity between Jennie and the character of her book). Secondly, she had learned Jennie's favourite colours were black and pink.

An interesting combo, Chaeyoung had thought.

Finally, Chaeyoung had learned that Jennie loved to sing. Part of Chaeyoung had been tempted to tell Jennie, "Hey, same! Wanna sing with me one day?" but that part of her had been overwhelmed by her shame at the memory of being rejected.

In trade for these oh-so sacred 'secrets' (as Jennie had dramatically named them), Chaeyoung had to return three of her own. She'd ended up telling Jennie about her pet fish, Orange, and about the one time she'd cried until her parents took her to Disneyland just so she could see Princess Ariel.

She'd felt a bit silly saying her third one, but after some reassurance she'd confessed to Jennie that she'd always wanted to get a tattoo saying 'more of you, less of me'.

"What is that, a song lyric?" 

"A quote from the Bible, actually." Chaeyoung had laughed at the girl's cluelessness, her eyes trained to the curb as she balanced carefully on it.

Jennie scoffed, "How was I meant to know that? I'm not exactly a church girl like you: I'm not even religious!"

"I resent that statement."

Silence blossomed between the two, but it wasn't one of awkwardness. It was more of comfortableness, Chaeyoung and Jennie merely basking in the peace of being in the presence of one another rather than ruining the mood with more words.

Jennie let out a content sight, looking up at the bright, full moon in all its beauty. She closed her eyes, letting her imagination wander. Chaeyoung looked over to her fondly, unable to stop the smile before it had already bloomed on her face.

Jennie's eyes fluttered open, catching Chaeyoung in the act before she could divert her attention to somewhere else. Chaeyoung blushed, her cheeks becoming rosy, as she quickly looked away, trying to hide the wry smile on her face.

"Why did you help me at the club?"

"Huh?" Chaeyoung, still not meeting Jennie's eyes, stared at the curb she was walking on, her ankles quaking under her when she nearly slipped onto the road. Would Jennie have caught her? She liked to think that she would.

"I've been a bitch to you ever since you came, but you still helped me out when I needed it. I just want to know why." Jennie shrugged, shivering and suddenly wishing she'd brought a coat. 

Chaeyoung wished she had too... maybe for herself, maybe for Jennie.

She smiled at the thought, but then she remembered there had been a question somewhere within Jennie's words, "That's what any decent person would do, I guess. That's what friends would do."

"But we're not friends."

Jennie's words weren't meant to come off as mean or cruel, only as truthful and a statement of facts. Chaeyoung tried to ignore the jab against her heart when she thought about how the words really were facts, and that Jennie hadn't even tried to let her down easy.

She brushed off the cold truth, trying to keep the smile on her face, "I know. In fact, we're probably as far from friends as we can possibly be. But I don't wanna be like that, Jen, I wanna be your friend."

"...Jen?"

"Seriously?" Chaeyoung laughed, throwing her hands in the air at how her heartfelt statement had been ignored, "I try and tell you the truth and all you got from that was that I called you 'Jen'?"

Jennie chuckled, "I'm kidding, Chae." She nudged Chaeyoung's shoulder, almost making the girl lose her balance, "Of course I wanna be your friend."

"On one condition." Chaeyoung interjected, closing her eyes dramatically and holding up a finger.

"And what is this one, almighty, condition?"

"You gotta wake me up for work next time, Jen."

"Deal."


	13. EUPHORIA

Chaeyoung didn't want to jinx it, but what the hell- life had been going pretty good since she'd made things up with Jennie. For one, she'd finally been able to get some real writing done. Infact, she'd already completed the four chapters, and she'd let Jennie read them all (she'd said they were amazing, as always).

Second of all, Chaeyoung had gotten a raise at HoneyPots. Despite the fact she'd only been there for two weeks, at this point, Solar had seen her drastic improvement and given her a raise as a congratulations.

However, one thing had actually gotten worse since the night at the club: that one thing was Chaeyoung's relationship with Lisa. It seemed that everytime Chaeyoung asked to hang out or for Lisa to come over, the Thai was always 'busy' (a load of bs if you asked the Australian).

Chaeyoung figured that Lisa was just working through some stuff and needed to be alone, so she slowed down her messages from ten a day to only two: good morning and good night. She hoped that Lisa would finally message her back when she felt better.

Speaking of messages, Chaeyoung had awoken that morning to her phone non-stop vibrating with messages and missed calls from an unsaved number. Chaeyoung rubbed her eyes, the harsh light of her phone nearly blinding her considering she'd only just got up, and opened the messages.

"Jennie?" She shouted, sat up in her bed, "Are you here?"

A faint, muffled shout came from downstairs and Chaeyoung groaned, knowing that she was gonna have to get out of bed early on a miserable Sunday morning (aka her day off). She mumbled to herself as she grabbed her dressing gown, feeling like a disgruntled mother being woken too early by a hyperactive child.

Chaeyoung trotted down the stairs, not exactly caring how loud she was, and with sleepy eyes she finally managed to spot Jennie in the kitchen. The older girl was nursing a glass of orange juice and a single slice of toasted brown bread, obviously too occupied on her phone to be bothered to eat.

"Jennie?"

"Hm?"

Sighing, Chaeyoung grabbed her own phone and opened the messages, showing Jennie the ones she'd awoken to. Jennie almost immediately snatched the phone out of her hand, refusing to believe what she was reading, "What the fuck is this?" She continued swiping through the message history, quickly reaching the end as there hadn't been much conversation other than a few messages, "I'm calling her."

Before Chaeyoung could stop Jennie, the girl had already pressed dial, and everytime Chaeyoung tried to get her phone back she snatched it away. It didn't take lone for them to pick up, obviously being an early bird.

"What the fuck, Jisoo?" Jennie nearly yelled, causing Chaeyoung to jump back in surprise. Finally, Jennie placed the phone down and put it on speaker, allowing Chaeyoung to hear the conversation aswell.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the messages you sent to Chaeyoung! How could you not tell me?" 

Jennie threw her hands in the air, already irritated by Jisoo despite only being on the phone to her for a few moments. Chaeyoung could instantly see why Jennie spoke so poorly of their landlady, as she too found herself slightly annoyed by her casual tone. 

"My, my, Jennie." Jisoo's voice came out teasing, and Chaeyoung could practically hear the grin on her face. She bit her lip, knowing that whatever came next was definitely going to set Jennie off, "You've only known her for a couple weeks and you're already sharing phones. Maybe it is true: Australians do get things done quicker."

Jennie let out an inhumane groan, already at the end of her temper. She looked to Chaeyoung, expecting her to be in a similar state, but her anger quickly morphed into confusion when she saw the Australian's only reaction to be a heavy blush (and perhaps a smile? Jennie couldn't be sure).

She shook her head, trying to rid the possibilities running through her mind, before focussing her attention back on Jisoo and the conversation at hand. More important things to think about right now, Jennie Kim. Get your head back in the game or you're gonna let Jisoo think she's beat you.

"Whatever, Jisoo. You know you're taking things out of context." 

Chaeyoung watched as Jennie grabbed her glass of orange juice and drank half of it at once, obviously suddenly overcome with an overwhelming thirst and need to cool down. She watched curiously as Jennie wiped her mouth and looked back down at the phone, giving it a deadly glare as if Jisoo could see her through the screen.

"Yeah but it's nice to see you get all pissy instead of being all uptight like you usually are. It's fun to have the ability to make you lose control."

The sentence perhaps came out more flirtatious than Jisoo had intended, as even Chaeyoung found herself questioning the relationship between Jennie and the landlady. Had they been something before? Was that the reason for the bad blood? Or was it purely because Jisoo was a shitty, seemingly incompetent, landlady? 

"Whatever, just tell me why you messaged Chaeyoung and not me. I've lived here longer than her, I run things in this house."

Chaeyoung wished she could argue not, but she knew Jennie was only saying the truth. The brutal, honest truth that Chaeyoung was a pushover. 

"Let me talk to Chaeyoung."

"Are you serious?"

"I know she's there, Jennie. Let me talk to her."

"No! What the fuck?"

"Fine. Enjoy being homeless."

"Are you serious?" Jennie's mouth fell open, "You're gonna kick me out if I don't let you talk to Chaeyoung: how sick in the head are you?"

"Very. Now let me talk to her."

Jennie gave an unhappy grumble, thoroughly informing Jisoo with a colourful array of vocabulary that she was less than pleased with her demand. She nodded at Chaeyoung sharply, gesturing for her to speak, but the girl was hesitant to do so incase she damaged her relationship with Jennie.

She raised an eyebrow, wordlessly asking an 'are you sure?'. Jennie shrugged, looking away and pretending not to care: Chaeyoung knew that wasn't the truth.

"H-hello?" Chaeyoung asked curiously, wondering if Jisoo would still be there. She waited in silence for a moment, fearing that Jisoo had left already and was going to follow through with her promise.

Finally, the voice on the other side replied, "Hey! Chaeyoung! Great to finally hear your voice: you sound even cuter than I expected. How are you? I know it's gotta be hard living with someone like Miss Jennie, but if anyone can get through it, it's you."

Chaeyoung was left speechless, dazed by how Jisoo's attitude had gone from teasing and undermining to charming (although there was still a hint of teasing to Jennie there). She stumbled for a response momentarily, all the words having left her brain, before responding, "I'm alright. Jennie is fine to live with, actually." She glanced at Jennie from the corner of her eye, seeing the girl stand just a bit straighter after she had finished her sentence.

Chaeyoung smiled at the effect she'd had on her roommate before continuing where she'd left off, "How are you?" 

She had to ask. It was rule number one of being polite: always return the question. Her mother may not have raised the most elegant Australian of all time, infact she probably raised the clumsiest and most obscure, but Chaeyoung had been taught her manners. 

Six year old Chaeyoung was sat on the naughty step, kicking at the wall to show defiance to her mother's word (although not enough defiance to end up grounded and banned from playing her father's piano).

She huffed and puffed, the hour passing slower than she ever thought time could. All Chaeyoung had done was hit her sister, but Alice had deserved it. If Alice didn't want to get hit then she shouldn't have taken her doll.

Why was Chaeyoung being punished when Alice wasn't? Life wasn't fair.

She should run away: that would show her mom.

Chaeyoung looked around, considering the foolish idea, but before she had the chance as to so much as stand up her mother was infront of her with crossed arms and a stern face, "Chaeyoung." The word was enough for Chaeyoung to immediately freeze and drop the idea from her mind, "What were you doing?"

"Nothing, mommy?"

"Well what did you do to your sister?"

"She started it!" Chaeyoung raised her voice slightly, pointing to the kitchen where she saw her sister watching silently, clinging Chaeyoung's doll to her chest.

Chaeyoung's mother looked over to where her daughter had pointed. She frowned at the sight of her other daughter and shooed her away with a knowing gaze and a silent promise of punishment if she didn't leave her sister alone.

When Alice had finally left to the comfort of the living room, Chaeyoung's mother turned back to her, this time with a softer look. She stroked her daughter's arm gently, as if coaxing her to tell her the truth, "That's not what I asked, Chae. We both know why you're on the naughty step, so just tell me and maybe I'll let you off soon."

The six year old perked up at the thought of not having to spend another minute on the naughty step, so with a reluctant sight she said, "I punched Alice on the arm, mommy." 

"And why did you do that?"

"Because she stole my dolly when I was playing with it."

"See- that wasn't so hard, was it?" Chaeyoung's mother wrapped her in a hug, squeezing her arms with pride that her daughter had managed to admit her wrongful actions.

Chaeyoung pulled away slowly, looking up at the woman with hopeful puppy eyes, "Can I come off the step now?"

"Okay, Chaeng. But I want you to remember one thing: manners make the man."

"I'm not a man, mommy."

The woman laughed, ruffling Chaeyoung's (much to the girl's dismay) as she stood up from the step. Chaeyoung brushed her dress down, mimicking the people in the movies she'd seen, and immediately rushed to the living room to watch her cartoons.

Later that day, Chaeyoung found herself on the naughty step once again. Why? She had punched her sister for not letting her watch Pokemon.

"Chaeyoung?" Jennie tapped the girl's shoulder lightly, interrupting the Australian's memory. The girl jolted at her touch, obviously not having payed attention to what Jisoo had said, "Are you listening?"

Chaeyoung shook her head, her mind still only half with Jennie and Jisoo, before smiling at her roommate, "Sorry, I got a bit distracted. Jisoo, would you mind repeating that?"

A breathy chuckle came from the phone, Jisoo obviously not really caring that Chaeyoung had spaced out during their conversation, "I wouldn't mind for a pretty girl like you."

Jennie rolled her eyes.

"I'm alright. Also, you don't have to lie about how it is to stay with Jennie. I know how bipolar she can be: I lived with her for two years-"

"Alright, that's enough flirting for you two." Jennie cut Jisoo off, obviously afraid she'd say too much about their past together. Chaeyoung watched intently, confused as to what there was to be scared about. She let Jennie continue, "Just tell Chaeyoung why you messaged her and not me."

"Fine." Jisoo cleared her throat, pausing in a dramatic silence. Jennie eyed the phone, unimpressed by Jisoo's obvious attempts to gain their attention, "I just wanted to talk to Chaeyoung."

"What?"

"Seriously, Jisoo?"

"Yeah, Jennie. Turns out she's a right cutie, and she seems like a keeper. You really should keep her close, Jendeukie, otherwise you don't know who might snatch her away from you at any moment-"

Jennie grabbed the phone and hung up, unable to stomach anymore of Jisoo's nonsense about feelings that weren't there. She was straight, for God's sake, and she was enjoying the single status. Besides, she already knew who, if anyone, would snatch Chaeyoung away.

Not that there was a reason she would get snatched away- because they're not dating. Like she said.

"Jendeukie?"

Chaeyoung's teasing stopped Jennie's obsessing over Jisoo's parting words, and the girl looked over to her roommate with empty eyes for a moment. The light to them returned when she remembered what Chaeyoung was on about, and Jennie smacked her arm lightly, "Seriously?"

"I'm kidding, Jendeukie."


	14. DISCLOSURE

Surprisingly enough, the phone call between Jisoo, Chaeyoung and Jennie hadn't caused much, if any, awkwardness between the roommates. There'd been a few tense moments that mainly consisted of Chaeyoung staring at Jennie and trying to figure out what her relationship with Jisoo was and Jennie turning around and catching her, but everything had been normal other than that.

Chaeyoung had been checking her phone every half an hour or so to see if Lisa had messaged her back, or even opened her messages (she said she only messaged twice, not that she didn't check more than that), bu there was no such luck.

She sighed, growing tired of getting her hopes up and having them shot down when Lisa never replied. Chaeyoung figured that she'd give it a couple more days before she grew seriously worried, and at that point she'd call her. 

If Chaeyoung regretted anything in her life, it was that she had never asked Lisa where she lived.

"What you watching?" 

Chaeyoung craned her neck back, seeing Jennie stood behind the sofa holding a bottle of beer in one hand with the other just out of sight, "Not gone one for me?" She asked jokingly (for the most part).

Jennie smiled and reached out the other hand from behind her back, passing Chaeyoung a slightly chilled bottle of beer. The Australian thanked her, cracking it open after a moment of struggle, "And to answer your earlier question, I'm watching Pokemon."

For some reason, her earlier remembrance of her childhood had stirred a seemingly insatiable urge to relive those memories, so Chaeyoung had done the next best thing and tried to recreate them. Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly the same (mostly because there was no Alice and no Australia), but she figured it was close enough.

Shrugging, Jennie took her jacket off and sat down on the sofa next to Chaeyoung, close enough to hear her but not so close that they were touching, "What's it about?" She asked, opening her beer bottle and taking a quick swig.

"You've never watched Pokemon before?"

"Nope."

"Jesus, Jen! Do you live under a rock?"

"I don't normally watch television."

Chaeyoung shook her head, wondering how Jennie had gotten through- wait... how old was Jennie? At that moment, it occurred to Chaeyoung that she knew nothing (other than the three things she'd been told the other day) about her roommate. Chaeyoung grabbed the remote and turned the TV off, earning a cry of displeasure from Jennie, "Oh hush, you don't even know what's going on."

Jennie looked away shyly, busying herself with her drink so she wouldn't have to admit to the truth in the statement, "Why'd you turn it off?" She asked curiously. It had been evident to her that Chaeyoung had been eager to watch the episode

"Because I suddenly thought about the fact I know absolutely nothing about you."

"Oh come on, you know plenty about me." She rolled her eyes at Chaeyoung's exaggeration, giving the girl a dubious side eye.

Scoffing, Chaeyoung dramatically began to count her fingers, staring at the five ones she had held up and the five others that she hadn't. Jennie narrowed her eyes, "What are you doing?"

"I can literally count on one hand how many things I know about you."

Jennie knocked Chaeyoung's shoulder, being mindful of the open bottles of beer at hand, before arguing, "Come on, what else is there to know? My name's Jennie Kim, I'm twenty five and work at HoneyPots. My favourite colours are black and pink, I enjoy singing, and I live with you: what else is there to know?"

"Oh you know what I mean, Jen." Chaeyoung placed her bottle of beer down on the coffee table, quickly placing a coaster under it when she caught sight of Jennie's deadly glare, "See, there's another fact you could include- you're a neat freak. I want to know you personally, not just know the Jennie everyone knows."

Rising to her feet, Chaeyoung half expected Jennie to walk away from her altogether. She wouldn't exactly be surprised considering Jennie's history of mood swings, and she had been pushing her luck a bit. Chaeyoung bit her lip nervously, Jennie's erratic mind making her once again pickup the habit her father had made her kick all those years ago.

"Only the indecisive bite their lip, Chaeyoung. If you're indecisive then no college will want you."

No college had wanted her no matter what.

"Where are you going?" Chaeyoung asked, staring up at Jennie. The other woman had just picked up the jacket she'd slipped off a bit earlier and put it back on, adjusting the sleeves so they covered her arms.

"I'll only be a minute." 

Jennie reached in her jacket pocket and pulled out a box of cigarettes, noticing Chaeyoung's eyes widen slightly when she saw the packet, "What?" It perhaps came out a bit more snappy than Jennie had intended, but she was feeling backed into a corner with Chaeyoung's intrusive gaze.

"Nothing. Just didn't take you for a smoker."

"Yeah, well someone-" Chaeyoung could probably guess who that someone was, "Got me hooked on the shit back in college. I've been trying to kick the habit, but the stress of roommates is making it a bit harder than I wanted."

"Sorry." 

"You're not that bad."

Jennie flicked the box open and grabbed a cigarette, leaving out the front door with the promise she'd only be a minute or so. Chaeyoung's heart sunk, still feeling at fault for Jennie's addiction. Maybe she had been a bit hard on Jennie before now: she'd only really considered her own feelings and not her roommate's.

She pushed the thought away, figuring that now they were friends she could potentially help Jennie finally kick the nasty habit like she wanted. But still...

The thought raged through her mind until Jennie finally returned, her body jittering lightly due to the cold of South Korea's almost-Winter, "Sorry- had to get that out of my mind before I went crazy. What were you saying?"

"I mean, I was gonna suggest we play a game of twenty questions, but the more I think of it the dumber it sounds-"

"Nah, it's not dumb," Jennie walked over to the fire, carefully crouching as she lit it, "God, I didn't realise how cold it was in here. You alright in just that dress?"

She gestured to Chaeyoung's bare arms and legs, pointing out the girl's silly decision of picking a dress to wear when it was nearly winter. Chaeyoung felt foolish under Jennie's eyes, knowing that any sane person would've played it safe and worn a sweater, so she just nodded, not wanting to look even dumber.

Jennie hummed, not quite believing Chaeyoung but not wanting to press the girl any further on the matter. If she said she was alright then who was Jennie to argue? The Korean rubbed her hands together, desperate for any heat possible, and took her seat on the sofa once again, this time closer to Chaeyoung.

Infact, to Chaeyoung it seemed so close that she could almost smell the cigarette on Jennie's breath. She had never liked the smell as a child, and she could say the same even now, but she put it aside and instead focussed on all the plus sides about being so close to Jennie.

For one, she was pretty. So very pretty that it haunted Chaeyoung's sin-filled dreams and her sweetest nightmares. Her beauty was a weapon of destruction; it was blasphemous to the point Chaeyoung almost hated Jennie. 

Number two, Jennie's hair smelt amazing. The raspberry scent of her coffee locks had barely been tainted by the smoke, meaning the smell that Chaeyoung despised was hardly noticeable when mixed with Jennie's shampoo and conditioner. God, she wished they could stay like that forever.

As if reading her thoughts, Jennie did the opposite and pulled away, paying no mind to the way Chaeyoung's smile fell, "I guess we should start the game, hm?" Jennie flashed a half-grin, appearing slightly uneasy to her roommate

"I'll go first."

Chaeyoung stewed for a moment, trying to think of a question. She had so many things that she wanted to ask, but all of them seemed a bit too personal for a first question. How did one ask a girl whether she was into girls or not? Chaeyoung didn't know. She decided to start small and easy, "How long have you lived in South Korea for?"

"Boring." Jennie hollered, and Chaeyoung suddenly wished she'd gone bolder instead of listening to her insecurities, "But, I've lived in South Korea for twenty years, altogether. When I was one my family moved to New Zealand for five years, but we came back and we've lived here ever since."

"No way, New Zealand? I was born there, actually, but I consider Australia to be my home country." Chaeyoung tried to fight away the happiness she felt at the realisation that her and Jennie had something in common, but she was pretty sure that she was already beaming.

"That's pretty cool. Maybe we were in the same city at the same time, or something. Anyway, my question for you is... what's your favourite music genre?"

Chaeyoung laughed, "Are you kidding me- you come at me for a boring question and now you're asking my favourite music genre?" Jennie shrugged, busying herself with her drink once again, "Whatever. If you must know, my favourite music genre is pop or alternative."

"Eh, I'm not really into pop myself, but whatever floats your boat. I'm more of a rap girl, to be perfectly honest."

"Well, to be perfectly honest, I didn't ask." 

Jennie clutched her heart dramatically, throwing herself back into the sofa as if she'd been shot by Chaeyoung herself. Chaeyoung could only chuckle at her... friend's (God it still felt weird saying that) actions as she thought of the next question, "Next question. What's your favourite ice cream flavour?"

"Milk ice cream, no doubt about it. What's your favourite food?"

"I love all foods, expect avocado. Avocados should be banned worldwide, and if I catch you eating one I'm moving out. Moving on, what's your favourite game?"

"Minecraft, easy. If I catch you playing fortnite you're moving out. When's your birthday?"

"February 11th, 1995. You?"

"16th January, 1994. Where did you go to college?"

Chaeyoung recoiled slightly at the question, not being prepared for the reminder she'd failed. She smiled, trying to hide the heartache, and replied, "Didn't go." Now was the time to ask the real questions, "How do you and Jisoo know eachother, and why do you hate her so much-"

A sigh from Jennie distracted Chaeyoung from her inner turmoils, and the Australian wondered why the question had stirred something so big inside Jennie, "Woah, calm down. One question at a time... but I knew you were building up to something, Chae. You're not as sneaky as you like to think you are."

Jennie grabbed her beer, suddenly wishing she had ten bottles instead of one so she wouldn't be able to remember the conversation when she woke up, "I know Jisoo because we used to be best friends. We went to the same college but I chose to graduate early."

Chaeyoung nodded, glad that Jennie felt comfortable enough to tell her, "Alright. Your turn to ask a question."

"Body count."

"Excuse me?"

"I said what's your body count, darlin'?"

Chaeyoung blushed at the added term of endearment, never having been called darling by anyone but her mother. It didn't help that Jennie had spoke in English, aswell. The Australian's lips quirked slightly, and suddenly the room was way too hot.

Now Chaeyoung wasn't exactly the perfect church girl Jennie had made her out to be. She was no fuckgirl, not by a landslide, but she definitely wasn't a virgin. Chaeyoung thought back to all her sexual experiences, remembering her first and her most recent as clear as day, "Keep in mind that the age on consent in Melbourne is only sixteen so-"

"Yeah, yeah. Get on with it." Jennie wafted her hand, eager to get an answer out of Chaeyoung one way or another.

Jennie listened closely, knowing this would probably be the only time Chaeyoung disclosed such information to her. Part of Jennie felt bad for making such an innocent girl discuss her sex life, but that part shrivelled up and died (alongside Jennie's beliefs that Chaeyoung was innocent) when Chaeyoung mumbled something along the lines of-

"Twenty three?!"

"I told you to keep in mind that Melbourne-"

"Has an age of consent of sixteen. Yeah, Chaeyoung, I get it, but twenty three? Damn girl you were pulling. " Chaeyoung blushed once again, not sure whether the last comment was a compliment or not, "So... were they all girls? Or were some guys, because I totally understand even lesbians gotta experiment-"

"One question at a time, Jen. And now it's my turn. So... what happened between you and Jisoo?"

"Jesus, you planning on marrying Jisoo? Because you're asking so much about her that I can't help but think so." Jennie snapped, this time being the one that flushed red (although for a different reason).

Chaeyoung shrunk back, regretting her line of questioning. She should've left it at one Jisoo question; she should've noticed how much it seemed to affect Jennie, "I'm sorry, Jen." She looked to the floor, the room's bitter chill returning (and it definitely wasn't because of the cold).

Jennie nursed her temples alongside her bottle of beer, closing her eyes and heaving a deep breath as she composed herself. She turned back to Chaeyoung, folding her legs behind her on the sofa, and stared her dead in the eyes, "No, it's fine. I shouldn't have snapped: it's just a game."

"I guess, but you don't have to tell me about Jisoo anymore."

"Listen, Chaeyoung. I'm only going to tell you this once, and after this I want no more questions about Jisoo. I can't really tell you the full story, but she caught me doing... something and accidentally let it slip to a couple people on campus. As you can guess, those people told even more people, and eventually everyone knew. Somehow my parents found out, and they weren't the happiest."

Chaeyoung nodded, understanding the feeling. Back when she'd came out of the closet as a lesbian her parents hadn't been very accepting at the start. It was understandable considering they both came from incredibly traditional, Christian families, but after a lot of heartfelt talks and some family therapy they'd eventually become open to the idea.

"Hey, atleast one of our daughters can still give us grandchildren."

To this day, Chaeyoung's father still hadn't understood why that sentence had irked her so much.

"So..." Jennie trailed, seeing Chaeyoung had spaced out, "Did you experiment with guys?"

"One guy. His name was Adam and he was a choir boy at my church. " He also taught me the guitar, Chaeyoung nearly added, but she decided to leave that bit out, "He was actually the one I lost my virginity to. After hating that experience I almost gave up and became a nun, but then I tried it with girls. And hey, I'm not a nun."

Jennie laughed, waiting for Chaeyoung to return a question.

"Ideal subway order?"

A lighthearted one to get the mood back to where it should be at.

"I always go for this, so pay attention if you ever happen to be buying me a subway. Grilled steak and cheese on italian flatbread, then you add cucumber, lettuce and mayonnaise. That's the perfect sub." Jennie kissed her fingers, imitating a chef.

Chaeyoung giggled girlishly, surprised her body even knew how to make such a sound. Jennie seemed to think the same as she quickly joined in, belting out full-blown laughs instead of giggles. When the two finally collected themselves, Jennie sucked a deep breath, trying her hardest to remain collected.

She stared at Chaeyoung, her eyes serious and lacking the light they'd had just a second ago. This was the Jennie Kim that Chaeyoung had known before the club, and it wasn't the one she liked. Jennie breathed softly, "What's your real reason for coming here?"

"What?"

Chaeyoung's face shifted from fear to confusion, but Jennie quickly continued.

"You can't seriously be telling me you moved countries, continents, even, just to get inspiration? Come on Chaeyoung, I wasn't born yesterday."

"That's exactly what I'm telling you, Jennie."

"You sure?" Jennie pressed, tilting her head closer to Chaeyoung. The Australian tried not to focus on the heavenly scent of Jennie's hair, but it was so hard. How could someone smell so good? 

She pushed the thoughts away, recollecting (preparing?) herself mentally, before replying, "Positive." Not really.

Now look who was the liar.


	15. LADY AND THE TRAMP

Chaeyoung was hungry. Well, she was always hungry, but by now she would usually be feasting on some ready-made microwave-meal that she'd bought earlier that day. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case right now.

Hers and Jennie's game of twenty questions had turned into thirty, then forty, and although she enjoyed learning more about her roommate she enjoyed eating even more. Chaeyoung clutched her stomach, hearing it growl loudly.

"Is that your answer?" Jennie laughed, it having just been her turn to ask the question.

Chaeyoung mock-smiled, letting it drop when her stomach grumbled once again. She felt as though she hadn't eaten in days, and at this point she was considering eating Jennie's shampoo if it tasted as good as it smelled (she knew it didn't, but she was still considering it).

The room fell quiet other than the squeaking of Chaeyoung's stomach. Jennie was trying hard to contain her laughter and Chaeyoung just wanted to crawl in a hole and die of embarrassment, "Can we please eat now?"

"I can't cook." Jennie raised her hands in surrender, putting all her cards (or really the cards she didn't have) on the table. Chaeyoung sighed, knowing she should've expected it from the day she walked in and saw all those takeout menus in the kitchen.

The Australian ran a hand through her faded pink locks, remembering that she would have to dye them soon, "That's great, 'cause neither can I. Are you alright if we order a takeout?"

Jennie looked at her lap and then back to Chaeyoung, biting her lip nervously, "I don't know... I'm trying to watch my figure." 

"Are you kidding? You literally have the best body I've ever seen, Jennie. I mean, you're so perfect that I'm jealous, and I'm sure every other girl is."

Appearing taken aback, Jennie smiled bashfully and mumbled a thank you, still feeling conscious of her body. She knew people thought she was hot, every guy she'd ever been with had said the same thing ("You've got a great ass, Jen. And those tits, too.")- she shuddered at the memories.

Yet to Jennie, there was a difference between what they thought and what she thought of herself. Everyone lied to avoid hurting people's feelings, it was human nature, but she'd done it so much to others that she constantly felt like people were doing it to her.

Chaeyoung seemed to notice Jennie's conflict as she reached out to her, rubbing her hand reassuringly on Jennie's arm, "You're beautiful, Jennie. I mean it." She sniffled slightly, feeling nostalgic of her mother saying the exact same words to her when she 'd been rejected from college.

At first, Chaeyoung had considered every possible reason, other than her music, for why she hadn't been accepted. The one that she'd stuck the most to was her looks, thinking that no college would want an ugly student because then they couldn't be famous. Those were the beauty standards of a South Korean singer: to be absolutely flawless.

She'd spent countless nights crying to herself on the bathroom floor, her mouth tasting absolutely vile, but she just wanted to be prettier. One day her mother had caught her hunched over the toilet, and the day after she'd been dragged to counselling, the elder woman insisting that no daughter of hers would be feeling anything less than happy with themselves.

It had been a long journey to recovery, but Chaeyoung had made it and put that part of her life behind her. The situation wasn't exactly the same as Jennie's, but she knew how it felt to feel disgusted by your own body.

"We don't have to get anything greasy or bad for you. Lisa and I saw this healthy noodle bar whilst we were walking, once, and we were gonna try it out. But since she's not picking up, maybe we could..."

She watched Jennie anxiously, her heart hammering for a reason she didn't know. Why was she so nervous? It would just be a trip to a noodle restaurant, just the two of them sat alone in a booth, talking and eating... did Jennie think she was asking her on a date?

Chaeyoung's eyes widened and she shook her hands rapidly, quickly clarifying that she meant as friends and nothing more. Jennie eyed her dubiously, unaware as to why she'd think anything other than that, but eventually agreed, "Fine. We can go to the noodle bar."

The Australian's eyes lit up and she clapped eagerly, beaming as she rushed to get her shoes on and her coat. Jennie shook her head playfully, following Chaeyoung so she could do the same, "Will it even be open? It's, like, ten o' clock."

Shrugging, Chaeyoung just slipped her coat on and passed Jennie hers. She pulled on her Doc Martens and fastened them shakily, her hands jittering with excitement, "If it's not then we can just grab a microwave-meal: we ran out the other day."

"So that's where my lasagnes have been going." 

Chaeyoung smirked, "Guilty as charged." 

She opened the front door, waiting patiently for Jennie to leave, "Ladies first. " She bowed dramatically, gesturing for Jennie to go infront of her.

"Why, I do declare, I'm charmed." Jennie plastered on an exaggerated South American accent, her voice squeaking slightly as she slipped from Korean to English. Chaeyoung smiled, glad Jennie was going along with the act despite her previous scepticism. 

The two wandered the streets for a while, Jennie listening as Chaeyoung regaled the tales of her and Lisa's adventures with pure happiness painted on her face. That happiness quickly morphed into regret, and along with it Jennie became confused.

The last she'd heard of Lisa was at the club, which was surprising considering that Chaeyoung and Lisa usually hung out everyday. Jennie quickly switched the conversation, seeing that Chaeyoung's mood was only worsening as the silence passed, "So, where is this place?"

"Oh! Chaeyoung pointed to a building a bit further up the street. A glowing sign was hung by the side, advertising the place to anyone who walked past. Jennie squinted slightly, reading the place's name as-

"Panda Express? I didn't know we had one of those?"

"No, you read it wrong. It's Panda Excite: I think the idea was to rip off Panda Express." 

Chaeyoung explained just as the girls reached the entrance of the noodle bar. Jennie looked inside hesitantly, seeing it empty other than a few workers cleaning the old-looking tables, "I think it's closed."

The Australian furrowed her brow, looking to the open and close times and seeing that the restaurant still didn't close for another hour, "No, it's open." She reached out for Jennie's hand, tugging her gently, "Come on, I'm starving."

The second they pushed the door open they were hit with an overwhelming smell of spices and noodles, despite the fact no one was ordering. Chaeyoung figured it was left-overs ready to be eaten by the staff or taken home, but she was rather underwhelmed by the atmosphere.

When she'd first seen the restaurant she'd expected it to be quite urban, purposefully having a more rustic look to promote the food over the looks. Apparently she was wrong. Chaeyoung shook her head, just happy she'd be able to eat.

"What you getting?" She nudged Jennie lightly, seeing the Korean staring up at the hanging menu board just above the tills. An annoyed looking cashier leaned against the counter with one hand, using the other to scratch his chest. His attention was mostly turned to the TV in the corner where the day's football game was being rerun once again, and from the bored look on his face he'd probably seen it more than once.

Jennie remained silent for a moment, deep in thought, before sighing and responding, "I think I'll have the beef teriyaki noodles with a glass of coke zero." 

Her words caused the cashier to perk up slightly, but not enough that he seemed excited. He cast Jennie and Chaeyoung a sidewards glance, snorting lightly, before turning back to the football game, finding more interest in the rerun than new customers and business.

If she wasn't absolutely starving, Chaeyoung would've probably left the restaurant there and then, but she was. She huffed, trying to ignore the obnoxious man, before she finally settled on her order.

Chaeyoung walked to the bar, the man shuffling as he noticed her coming towards him. He straightened his posture, albeit barely, and put on an obviously fake smile, "Welcome to Panda... Excite-" He spoke robotically, as if he had rehearsed the statement a thousand times, "What can I get for you on this Pantastic day?"

"Can we have beef teriyaki noodles, kimchi udon noodles and two glasses of coke zero?" Chaeyoung leaned forward on the counter, feeling the coolness of it against her hands.

The cashier moved sluggishly, looking Chaeyoung dead in the eyes, and responded with heavy eyes and dragged words, "Sorry, Miss, but we're closing shortly so we're not selling food. You can have the two coke zeros, if you want."

"But you don't close for over an hour."

The cashier opened his mouth to respond but he couldn't think of anything. He turned to where there was an open door leading to what obviously was the kitchen, yelling something in Japanese. Chaeyoung quirked an eyebrow, thankful that her father had made her take Japanese in high school.

A response came almost immediately and the cashier nodded, turning back to face the two girls, "We'd be happy to take your orders. Your food should be ready in twenty minutes."

Chaeyoung thanked him, dragging her body away from the bar and guiding Jennie to the booth she'd chosen for them, "Remind me never to go back to this place." She spoke in a hushed voice, looking around skeptically incase any of the workers happened to be listening in.

Jennie leaned in close to Chaeyoung. So close that Chaeyoung could feel her hot breath brush past her ear. Chaeyoung squirmed at the close proximity, not having expected Jennie to lean in so close that they were almost touching, "What? Why?"

She didn't seem to have picked up on Chaeyoung's uncomfortableness, but the Australian then made it obvious by pulling away and slinking back against the distressed booth seats, feeling the rips of the fabric through the material of her dress.

"That cashier guy said some pretty rude stuff about either me or you."

"Like what?"

"I'll tell you in a minute." Chaeyoung finished, noticing a few workers near them as they continued to clean. She gave them each a tight smile, her eyes widening in annoyance that she couldn't tell Jennie.

She slumped even further against the seat, hearing her stomach growl one again. Wait... was that her? She looked to Jennie, finding her blushing and clutching her stomach tightly to suppress any other unwanted noises.

Opening her mouth to comment, Jennie gave her a single look that made Chaeyoung choose to sit in silence instead.

Comfortable silence fell between the two as they waited for their drinks. Jennie spent the time picking at the ripped material of the booth they were sat in and flicking it away, whereas Chaeyoung spent her time watching her roommate curiously.

She looked at Jennie's hand, watching her knuckles blanch as she tugged harshly at the tough leather the chair was made of. Chaeyoung took note of a simple black ring slipped on Jennie's index finger. She wondered if it had any meaning or if it was just for decoration, but before she could ask a woman appeared with their drinks.

The woman shakily placed them on the table, spilling some of Chaeyoung's as she did so. The Australian almost rolled her eyes, but out of politeness she just said thank you and pushed down her annoyance.

Jennie smiled wryly at the girl's irritated facial expression, shaking her expression as she pulled the straw out of its paper container and dropped it in her drink. She looked at Chaeyoung, seeing her struggling to open her own straw, "You alright there?"

"I think it's broken." Chaeyoung spoke pathetically, trying to twist the paper instead of pull it apart.

Jennie laughed and grabbed Chaeyoung's hands, the Australian immediately slowing her movements when she felt Jennie's skin upon her own. Jennie guided them to the opposite ends of the paper and gave one sharp tug, opening the straw up for Chaeyoung to use, "See?" Jennie asked, dropping the paper to the table, "Not as hard as you thought."

"Thanks."

At that moment another woman arrived with their food, the bowls of noodles steaming as she placed them down infront of the two girls. Thankfully she didn't spill any on Chaeyoung this time otherwise the Australian would've sued.

The two thanked the waitress, watching as she rushed into another door, most likely where the back room was. The food didn't look the most appetising (that was probably being generous considering the noodles seemed undercooked and Jennie's meat seemed burnt), but the two were absolutely starving.

There was near silence around the two girls as they ate, Chaeyoung too busy slurping up her noodles to speak and Jennie eating like a regular person at a regular pace.

They occasionally filled the silence with small talk, mostly about what Jisoo had told them and how they would prepare. It had been hard enough between Chaeyoung and Jennie already, but now things could only get worse.

Chaeyoung stared absently at the table, noodles hanging from her chopsticks that were barely touching her lips. Jennie looked curiously, realising she had spaced out, "Am I that boring?" Jennie asked, blowing on her own steaming noodles.

Snapping out of it, Chaeyoung jolted lightly and smiled at her boothmate, "No! You're not boring: sometimes I just space out on accident."

Jennie hummed dubiously, believing Chaeyoung but not believing what she had said about her not being boring. Come on, no need to lie when neither of them had been talking. This was exactly what Jennie was scared of.

"What shift are you on tomorrow?"

"Huh?" Chaeyoung asked, in the middle of eating some noodles. Jennie almost burst out laughing at the sight of her with a mouth stuffed with noodles and kimchi, a bit of sauce staining the corner of her lips.

Jennie took a sip of her coke to calm herself, hammering her chest as she almost choked on it due to laughter, "I'm on eight-four, so I wanted to know if I'm gonna have to wake you up for work or not."

"Well I'm glad you thought about me this time." Chaeyoung commented, giving Jennie a knowing look, "I think I'm on ten-six."

"You realise that's the worst shift... right?"

"Way to rub it in."

Jennie placed her chopsticks down, taking her napkin and wiping her mouth. She leaned in to Chaeyoung, once again making the girl uncomfortable like she had earlier, "So, what did that cashier guy say?" She spoke barely-above a whisper, as if they were discussing government secrets.

"He called us Lady and the Tramp."

Jennie threw her hands up, her mouth falling open in exasperation, "Is that it? That's your big secret that you were absolutely bursting to tell me?"

"He called you a tramp!" Chaeyoung countered, raising her voice. She was sure the cashier had heard by now, but what the hell: it wasn't like she was planning on coming back to Panda Excite any time soon.

"No, he called you a tramp. I'm obviously the lady."

Chaeyoung couldn't argue with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i may or may not have forgotten to publish the rest of the chapters i've already published on aff and wattpad... oops


	16. I'M NOT SCARED

Park Chaeyoung was many things. A daughter, a sister, a writer, a Christian, but she wasn't the type to celebrate Halloween. Luckily for her, Jennie was practically the opposite.

When Chaeyoung had woken up that morning to a large spider being dangled on her face, she'd screamed and fallen off her bed. She'd shot straight back up upon hearing the sounds of her roommates giggles, and Chaeyoung had tried her hardest not to cry then and there.

"What's wrong, Chae?" Jennie chuckled, seeing Chaeyoung's disgruntled, near-tears, expression, "You scared of a little spider?"

'Little' wasn't the word that Chaeyoung would use to describe the spider Jennie had cruelly tricked her with (more like enormous and petrifying), but she merely shook her head and responded, "I'm not scared."

More like terrified.

Jennie puckered her bottom lip, pouting like a toddler as she imitated Chaeyoung's face, "You sure, baby?" She asked in a high-pitched voice. 

Unfortunately her words didn't seem to have the effect Jennie wanted, as Chaeyoung was left a blushing and stuttering mess all because of the term of endearment Jennie had innocently added on the end, "Uh... yes?" She finally staggered out, unable to so much as look at her roommate.

Furrowing a brow, Jennie was left momentarily puzzled by the sudden change in behaviour. She pushed the thought away, her mind instead being filled with how she was going to celebrate the greatest night of the year: Halloween.

"Well, I made breakfast so come down soon or it'll go cold." 

Jennie shrugged and hopped off of Chaeyoung's bed, leaving the room without another word and shutting the door behind her. Chaeyoung was left on the floor, her heart still hammering out of her chest from fear, stunned and dazed.

She shook the feeling off, climbing to her feet and readjusting the shoulder of her pyjama top that had slightly slipped down when she had fallen. Chaeyoung looked at herself in the mirror, examining the roots of her hair. She sighed, realising that she'd either have to dye them pink...again, or go back to black once and for all.

Chaeyoung pondered the thought for a moment, considering doing them that night. She had nothing better to do considering she definitely wouldn't be going out, but then there was that part of her still focussed on Lisa.

Everything would go back to Lisa.

Chaeyoung grabbed her phone and opened her messages to Lisa, typing a quick good morning and sending it. She locked her phone, hesitating for a moment, before opening it back up and typing another message. Her finger hovered over the send button and her heart began to rush once again. Why was this so hard?

She pressed send, locking her phone quickly and throwing it on her bed, trying to throw away the butterflies in her stomach with it.

"Food's going cold!"

Chaeyoung left her room at the promise of food waiting for her and rushed downstairs into the kitchen, finding Jennie stood proudly behind a table full of burnt sausages, scrappily buttered bread and messily fried eggs. Honestly, the only perfect thing in that room was Jennie. The food looked less than appetizing, but Chaeyoung was just honoured she'd tried for her. 

"You like it?" Jennie asked, gesturing to the table she'd worked hard on setting, "I know I'm not exactly the best chef, but I knew you'd be upset after the spider prank so I figured I should be prepared to make it up to you."

The Australian was left momentarily stunned by Jennie's efforts, feeling unable to find the words to describe how grateful she was and how fast her heart was racing (and that definitely wasn't from being scared).

Jennie's smile slowly seemed to drop with every passing second of silence, "You don't like it?" She asked, her eyes running up and down the table of foods she'd prepared.

"What?" Chaeyoung asked, "No- of course I like it! I'm just... I don't know what to say."

She walked around the table to the side that Jennie was stood on and threw her arms around her in a hug. Jennie stiffened at the contact, her eyes widening and her face flushing for a reason she couldn't quite explain. Eventually, she melted into the hug, even wrapping her arms around Chaeyoung loosely.

Chaeyoung pulled away yet remained squeezing her forearms, smiling at Jennie as her eyes flickered over her body. The two remained in silence for a second before Jennie cleared her throat and brushed Chaeyoung's hands away, gesturing for her to take a seat, "We should eat before it gets cold."

"Right."

Chaeyoung pulled out a seat next to Jennie, thanking her when the elder girl placed an incinerated sausage on her plate. They ate in an awkward mix of silence and brief conversation, something that annoyed Chaeyoung to no end. Had she messed things up accidentally?

Her eyes flickered from her own food to Jennie's face, and Chaeyoung's heart fluttered with how elegant she looked in that very moment, "Any plans for tonight?" Chaeyoung asked casually, dropping her eyes from Jennie and back to her plate.

"Nayeon's having a party: I think I'll hit that up." Jennie commented casually, dragging the sausage on her plate around with her fork, "What about you? Have you got anything special planned?"

"I think I'll dye my hair."

"Huh?"

Jennie looked up from her plate, her eyebrows knit together with confusion.

"My roots are starting to show and I don't wanna walk around looking like an idiot so I guess I'm gonna re-dye them."

Jennie nodded, turning her attention back to her food. She scooted the egg around the plate, feeling as though she was going to be sick if she so much as sniffed it. Jennie stood from her seat and grabbed the plate, throwing the leftovers in the bin and leaving it in the dishwasher so she could clean it later.

"You barely ate anything..." Chaeyoung pointed out, just having finished her own plate of food.

"Not hungry."

────

Jennie had just finished getting changed for Nayeon's party when she had walked past Chaeyoung's room and found her sat on the floor, her legs folded underneath her, and holding a bottle of black hair dye.

The Australian seemed to be struggling to read the instructions, and Jennie almost laughed at how idiotic she looked in an oversized roughed-up shirt with her hair clipped up into strands and a massive booklet hiding her face.

Chaeyoung threw the booklet on the floor and groaned, unclipping her hair and giving up. Why was Korean so complicated to her? She'd grown up speaking the language at home, and now she can't even read simple instructions.

"Need some help?" 

She jolted upon hearing Jennie's voice, looking over to find her roommate stood in the doorway. Chaeyoung sighed, knowing she'd probably seen her entire tantrum, and nodded: what would be the point in lying?

Jennie shook her head and quickly sat down behind Chaeyoung, gently picking up the instruction manual and beginning to read it, "Let's see... it says to get the mixture and brush it into your hair after parting it into four, or six, individual strands."

"Thanks."

Chaeyoung grabbed another clip and clipped another piece of hair up, leaving only one strand down for her to dye. She dipped the brush into the mixture and reached round the back of her head, stretching her arm as she tried her hardest to find the strand.

Watching as she struggled, Jennie sighed and shook her head once again, "Want some more help?"

"Yeah... please."

Taking the brush, Jennie slipped a glove on her left hand and used her right to start applying the mixture to Chaeyoung's faded pink hair. She adjusted her left hand, accidentally tickling the back of Chaeyoung's neck with the uncomfortable material of the glove, "Sorry." She apologised, trying her hardest not to lose concentration on the task at hand.

Chaeyoung shrugged, "S'okay."

This repeated three or four more time, Jennie accidentally brushing against Chaeyoung and enjoying the way the girl shivered at her touch as Chaeyoung relished the contact only blocked by a thin layer of latex, forming a pattern the two girls enjoyed more than they should've.

Unfortunately, all things good must come to an end, and the end to this thing was the ringing of the doorbell, signalling to Jennie that Seulgi and Irene were here. Jennie reluctantly stood up, promising Chaeyoung that she'd be back soon, and ran downstairs to unlock the door.

When she did, she saw the two women standing there in a matching couple's costume with bright smiles on their face. Irene had spray-dyed her hair pink and was dressed in a short dress of the same colour, and Seulgi had slipped on a red strappy-top and deep-blue jeans with an axe guitar hanging off her back.

"What the hell are you two supposed to be?" Jennie asked, completely dumbfounded.

"Adventure Time..." Irene explained, waiting for Jennie to click on before continuing, "Marceline and Princess Bubblegum? One of the first canon gay couples in a cartoon to get a kiss scene? Jesus, you really do live under a rock." 

"And what about you... did you not get the memo to dress up?" Seulgi asked, gesturing to Jennie's plain red dress.

"I was just gonna throw on some clown makeup and call it a costume." 

Seulgi patted her girlfriend's back, feeling just as disappointed with Jennie as Irene, but instead looked behind Jennie to where the stairs were, "Where's your sexy roommate-" She was cut off by a sharp elbow from Irene, "I mean, where's your sexy, but not sexier than my girlfriend, roommate?"

Jennie sighed and turned back to the stairs, "Chaeyoung! Can you come down for a sec? Irene and Seulgi want to see you?"

A faint call of 'I'm coming!' was heard, and a few minutes later Chaeyoung was stumbling down the stairs, parts of her hair streaked with hair dye whilst the majority wasn't, and staggering to meet Irene and Seulgi, "Hey." She said, out of breath, "Cool Marceline and Bubblegum costumes: I went as Bubblegum last year-"

She cut herself off, her happy expression suddenly dropping.

Irene didn't seem to notice as she just laughed and replied, "See, Jen?" She turned to Jennie, an accusatory look on her face, "Even this hetero knows who Bubblegum and Marceline- your sexuality is no excuse."

"Well actually..." Chaeyoung squeaked, blushing when Seulgi's eyes immediately snapped to hers with a devilish smirk on her face.

"Ohh..." She wiggled her eyebrows, not needing to say anything else for Chaeyoung to get the message, "I think we should be going if we want to get to Nayeon's on time, you know how crazy that girl is about punctuality and whatever."

Jennie nodded, "Let me just go and do my makeup and then we'll be ready to go-"

Seulgi shook her head and dragged Jennie out the house, waving bye to Chaeyoung, "No time. We'll just have to say you're a slutty devil and leave it at that. Bye Chaeyoungie, see you soon."

The door slammed shut with Seulgi's final words, and Jennie snatched her arm out of her friend's grip, "What the hell, Seulgi? I just wanted to go and do my makeup."

"We haven't got time for that." Irene backed her girlfriend up, wagging a finger in Jennie's face like she was a dog, "The party's about to start."

Jennie already knew it wouldn't end well.


	17. THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL

By the time Jennie, Seulgi and Irene arrived at the party it was already in full swing. They had a hard time getting through the door, nevermind trying to find the host amidst all the chaos of drunk twenty-something year olds and teenagers that had somehow managed to sneak in.

However, standing pretty in the middle of it all was Im Nayeon. The elegant woman stood proudly in a skin-tight black leather suit with fluffy pink ears perched atop her head and a half-mask covering the pale skin around her eyes. She looked hardly a day over twenty one in the attire, the disco lights giving her skin an unusually vibrant glow.

Jennie smiled when she saw her friend, raising her hand to wave, before the expression of glee quickly dropped and was replaced with one of confusion and a twinge of annoyance. She looked over to Joohyun and Seulgi, seeing them both equally as baffled as her.

"As far as I know she wasn't invited. I don't know how, or why, she's here."

She hadn't known the specifics of what had happened between Chaeyoung and Lisa, but seeing the Thai girl here now, at Nayeon's party, rubbed her in the wrong way. Jennie immediately knew that thing's hadn't gone great between her roommate and her roommate's friend from the sudden flipping of her stomach.

Nayeon turned in their direction, smiling when she spotted the trio. She waved her hands in the air and motioned for them to come join her. Jennie sighed, spotting Lisa staring into her soul, before begrudgingly grabbing Joohyun and Seulgi and dragging them to her other friend.

"Hey, Jen! Glad you could make it." Nayeon gave her friend an excited shake before pulling her into a hug, squeezing her with excitement, "But-" She trailed, pulling away and scanning Jennie up and down, "You should know the rules about costumes: no costume no entry. So what exactly are you?"

"Uh..."

"Slutty devil!" Joohyun shouted, wincing when her girlfriend lightly elbowed her in the stomach. She pouted at Seulgi, her pink hair slipping slightly from where it had been tucked behind her ear.

Nayeon could only laugh, "Glad you two haven't changed since I last saw you in the club. You guys remember Lisa, right?" She turned to the side, gesturing to where Lisa was stood sheepfully behind the party's host.

Lisa's body had been decorated with soft silk the colour of snow, the fabric loosely framing her body and complimenting her pale skin. The dress reached to just above her knees before it cut off into a few ruffled white feathers. On her back were two massive angelic wings, framing the girl's petite body, and above her head was a slightly tilted halo, somehow glowing with Lisa's mere presence.

Jennie thought of it as a bitterly truthful sign from the universe.

She scoffed inwardly, turning away to hide how she rolled her eyes, before looking back to the four other girls, "Remember her? She's Chaeyoung's best friend; she slept at my house, Nayeon, of course I'm going to 'remember her'."

"Was."

"Huh?"

"I was Chaeyoung's best friend."

Jennie furrowed her brows, folding her arms across her chest. She puffed her chest out like an angered animal, and Nayeon swore she saw steam rush out of her nose. Jennie looked up to Lisa, not even feeling slightly hesitant despite their height difference, "What's that meant to mean?"

"I was her best friend until two of you left me at club so you could leave together." Lisa looked down her nose at Jennie, and Seulgi backed away when she saw the flash of anger in her eyes.

She looked to Nayeon, silently pleading for her to end the argument so she could hurry up and make their announcement so they could leave. Nayeon nodded and grabbed Lisa's shoulder, flinching when the girl whipped round to her.

"Um- I think you should cool it down. Both of you. Seulgi has an announcement and I don't want you guys ruining it." Nayeon scolded the two like they were children before she signalled for the DJ to turn the music off, but (like all children) they didn't listen.

Jennie snarled at Lisa, not noticing Nayeon walk off and slowly make her way to the staircase, "Abandoned you? Chaeyoung saved me, y'know, or are you just too blinded by jealousy to see that?"

"By yourself? That doesn't seem like something 'just friends' do."

"Really? Maybe if you just told Chaeyoung how you really felt she wouldn't have left you in the club to go back with me. We didn't even do anything, Lalisa. Shows how much a friendship with you means compared to a friendship with me."

Lisa recoiled as if she'd been hit, her angry eyes appearing crestfallen and teary. Jennie immediately regretted her words, but before she could reach out to apologise a deafening mechanical screech rang throughout the room.

The entire house stood silent, everyone's, including Jennie's and Lisa's, eyes turned to where Nayeon stood on the staircase. Another taller woman stood behind her, and Lisa narrowed her eyes in confusion. She could've sworn she'd seen her somewhere, but her broken-heart was making it too hard for her to figure out where.

The woman had a face that you would never be able to miss. She walked in the room and she knew she was the prettiest there ('Other than if Chaeyoung was there, of course,' Lisa thought). There was something about that confidence and the sleek, black hair that framed her delicate features that seemed familiar to Lisa.

She shook the feeling away, blinking her eyes rapidly as she tried to focus on the words coming out of Nayeon's mouth.

"First of all, I hope you guys are having a good time." 

Nayeon held the microphone out to the crowd and an ear-piercing roar broke out, everyone throwing solo cups around in response. The hostess chuckled and pulled it back, "Secondly, thank you all for coming. And a big thank you to the woman who made this whole thing possible- Sooyoung."

She pointed behind her to the familiar woman, Sooyoung, and the girl smiled brightly. Sooyoung bowed towards the crowd before taking back her stoic, yet friendly, position behind Nayeon.

"Before I let you guys get back to the party, I hope you all wouldn't mind turning your attention to Seulgi over there." The crowd looked around, a large majority of them having never met Nayeon or Seulgi and only having got in here by sneaking, before Nayeon sighed, "Seulgi, stick your hand up."

Bashfully, Seulgi raised her hand in the air. She waved shyly, blushing despite her pale makeup when suddenly every pair of eyes in the room was on her. Joohyun looked at her in confusion, wondering what Nayeon and her girlfriend had done.

Seulgi smiled at Joohyun, rubbing her arm in embarrassment, "F-for you that don't know: I'm Seulgi and this is my girlfriend, Joohyun."

A whoop came from the near silent crowd.

"Thanks, whoever that was. Anyway, we've been dating for almost four years now, and I'm tired of it. I'm tired of dating her."

Joohyun looked to her girlfriend, her eyes teary and horrified. Couldn't she have done this in private? Why would she embarrass her like this? The entire room was now in dead silence, no more cheers for the couple.

"That's why I want to marry her."

Seulgi reached into the pocket of her shorts and bent down on one knee, pulling out a small ring that seemed so big to the woman it was being offered to. Joohyun froze in place, never knowing how intimidating something so beautiful could be.

It wasn't much, to be honest. It was a simple silver ring studded with a few small diamonds, but to Joohyun it was everything and more. Seulgi laughed nervously, "Come on, babe. Don't leave me hanging. Do you want to marry me too?"

"Yes."

Without a doubt, Joohyun wanted to marry Seulgi.

The crowd erupted once again as Seulgi climbed to her feet, tears tumbling from her eyes and tainting her porcelain cheeks with streaks of black mascara. She didn't care. Seulgi gently took Joohyun's hand and slipped the ring on to her ring finger, smiling at how perfectly it fit.

Joohyun didn't wait another second before she pulled her girlfriend, her fiancée, into an earth-shattering kiss. There was no world around them, no Jennie, no Nayeon, no Lisa, no worries: it was just two women becoming fully united with their other half.

Jennie's jaw dropped and she felt her heart soar with happiness, completely forgetting about the entire argument with Lisa. She beamed in joy, clapping loudly for her two friends that would finally be complete with one another.

She just wished she could have that.

────

Chaeyoung had just finished washing her hair when the doorbell rang. She groaned, wondering how many times she could be interrupted in one day, before pitter-pattering down the stairs to check who it was.

She pulled it open a smidge, seeing a few locks of black and hair and the top a short girl's head, "Who are you?" Chaeyoung asked, somewhat rudely (although perfectly understandable for someone who was tired of being interrupted).

The small girl scoffed, looking up at Chaeyoung, "I suppose we've never met before, but I thought you would've been able to recognise your future wife when she comes to your front door."

Chaeyoung shrugged, still confused as to whether she was meant to know who this girl was.

The stranger huffed, pinching the bridge of my nose, "Okay. I see how it is. You're playing hard to get, right?"

"No?"

"Jeez, you're hotter in person but also a lot dumber."

Chaeyoung's eyes widened in recognition, remembering the familiar snarky tone of the girl, "You must be Jisoo... right?" She asked, pointing a shaky finger at her.

"Bingo!" Jisoo smiled, throwing her hands exaggeratedly in the air, "Took you long enough, but I guess that's alright considering you're making up for it with all of... this."

She gestured to Chaeyoung, her eyes hooked to the pale skin that was barely being covered by a small, grey towel. Chaeyoung looked down at herself, her own eyes widening as she felt a sudden heat shoot to her cheeks, "Oh god. Let me just go get my dressing gown- I'm so sorry."

Jisoo grinned mischievously, rubbing her hands together as if she was plotting something. The action unnerved Chaeyoung to no end so she quickly rushed up the stairs and dropped her towel in her wash basket, slipping her dressing gown on.

From upstairs she could hear Jisoo investigating so she quickly hurried back down, finding the landlady with her hand rummaging through the stack of letters, "What are you doing?" Chaeyoung asked, looking at her with nothing more than confusion evident on her face.

"I'm checking if you guys have been getting my letters."

"What letters?"

"The rent. You're a week overdue."


	18. BLACK MEETS VELVET

"Jesus, how much did she drink?"

"I don't even wanna know."

Jennie's head lolled as the two girls continued to drag her up the street to her house, her eyes drooping as she threatened to fall dead asleep at any moment. Dahyun slapped her cheek lightly, startling her, "What the hell was that for?"

"It's hard enough to carry you drunk, nevermind asleep."

Nayeon chuckled, hitching Jennie's arm tighter around her neck again, "You can't keep drinking everytime something doesn't go you way, Jen." Her voice was soft yet stern, coming as a warning from a friend who wanted only the best for Jennie, "You're lucky Joohyun and Seulgi are so nice. If you'd pulled this on my engagement night I would've dropped your ass straight away."

Drunkenly nodding, Jennie sighed in understanding. Perhaps she'd allowed her drinking habits to get out of hand, but who could blame her? If you saw the girl that had broken your friend's heart, wouldn't you be equally as enraged?

Atleast that would be her excuse when Chaeyoung chewed her out for allowing herself to be put in such a vulnerable excuse.

Finally, the three girls ended up infront of Jennie's apartment. Dahyun shoved her hand in Jennie's purse and grabbed the house keys, steadily relinquishing her half of Jennie to Nayeon (who almost fell over). She unlocked the front door with a little bit of trouble, thanks to the pitch black sky, and pushed it open, not expecting to find the living room lights on.

Dahyun looked over to Nayeon, seeing her equally as puzzled. Nonetheless she shrugged and went back to grab Jennie, pulling her into the house. Nayeon pushed the door open, spotting Chaeyoung and someone unfamiliar to her.

"Sorry about dropping by so suddenly but we have to give Jennie back."

Chaeyoung startled at the sound of Nayeon's voice, almost dropping her cup of coffee as she looked over to the girls. Her eyes widened at the sight of a dishevelled Jennie and a stranger that she'd never seen before, "What happened to her?"

She rushed to her roommate, reaching a hand out and lifting her head up so the two were staring into one another's eyes. Well, Chaeyoung was staring into Jennie's: all Jennie could see was a clump of blurs.

Squinting, Jennie tried her hardest to focus on the blob infront of her, but all she could focus on was the other one sat on the sofa. The familiar classy air around the blur was what Jennie first recognised, a nagging feeling in her stomach settling.

Eventually the picture cleared up and all she could feel was anger and confusion, "What isss-" She trailed for a second, momentarily losing her line of though, "What is sheee doing hereeee?" Her head dropped to the side, no longer having the strength to support herself.

Jisoo smirked as she stood from the sofa, clasping her lukewarm cup of coffee in her hands, "Nice to see you haven't changed, Jennie: you're still the same reckless party girl you were back in college."

Raising a limp hand, Jennie lightly tapped the side of Jisoo's face. It had been meant as a slap but the alcohol coursing through her body had turned Jennie into nothing more than putty, able to be manipulated so easily by both words and actions, "Ffff... fuck... you."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Jennie raised a more meaningful hand, this time it was clenched into a fist, but Chaeyoung quickly grabbed it and swatted it away. She turned to Dahyun and Nayeon, finding them still stood there supporting Jennie with baffled expressions.

"Thanks." Chaeyoung chuckled uneasily, scratching the nape of her neck, "I think I can handle it from here."

"Um... okay. Just text me if you need anything. Bye, Chaeyoung." Nayeon relinquished Jennie into Chaeyoung's open arms, watching as her friend tumbled without hesitance.

Dahyun smiled shakily, "It was nice meeting you all."

Chaeyoung sighed as she watched the two leave, the shutting of the front door never having sounded more satisfying than it did at that moment, "Well... " She trailed, looking between the near-lifeless Jennie in her arms and the still smirking Jisoo stood not even a meter away, "I'm gonna get some coffee for Jennie; please don't kill eachother whilst I'm in the kitchen."

She sincerely doubted that Jennie would so much as be able to scratch Jisoo, but the statement was more directed to her landlady than her roommate.

As Chaeyoung left to the kitchen, it was up to Jisoo to direct the stumbling Jennie to the sofa, "Go sit down. " She spoke harshly, pushing her onto the sofa. It was a much different interaction than the one on the phone, but Jisoo supposed that seeing Jennie face-to-face again after all these years had brought up some buried feelings.

"You always liked to be in... control." Jennie allowed her eyes to shut as she laid on the sofa, looking drained of all life in that moment.

The comment brought a leering smile to Jisoo's face as she watched Jennie with an intent stare. She looked to the kitchen where she could see Chaeyoung pouring steaming water into a cup, knowing she only had a few more moments alone with Jennie before the girl returned, "Glad you remember your place after all these years. Is that the same place you have with Chaeyoung, or have you finally learned how to dominate?"

Jennie smirked, not saying another word, and Jisoo could only shake her head as Chaeyoung came back into the room, "Jennie." The freshly-raven haired girl gave her roommate a fond smile, "Can you sit up?"

The New Zealander gave a hum as she dragged her body, as if she were dragging a fresh corpse, until she was propped up against the sofa. Her eyes fluttered open, finally focussing on Chaeyoung, and she returned the grin. Chaeyoung passed the cup of coffee carefully, making sure not to spill any on Jennie, and Jisoo watched with a faint scowl.

"Now what's going on between you two?"

Jisoo's smirk faded at the unexpected question, instead her lips forming a tight line as she gave Jennie a cold look, "Nothing." Was her only answer, refusing to say anything else. Jennie gave her a grateful smile, and Jisoo nodded at her.

"That didn't seem like nothing."

"Well it was, Chae." This time it was Jennie's turn to speak, giving Chaeyoung a sharp look, "Now just drop it. Please."

She wanted to argue but knew she could not win two against one, so Chaeyoung simple gave a reluctant nod and crossed her arms, "Now, about why Jisoo's here." Chaeyoung shuffled awkwardly, letting out a sigh, "We're behind on the rent, Jen."

"What?" Jennie seemed to immediately sober up as she shot up from the sofa, hissing when the coffee sloshed violently in the cup and accidentally spilled on her bare skin. She shook the hand it had landed on, "How? We both have jobs and should have more than enough to pay."

"Oh... yeah..." Chaeyoung trailed, chuckling awkwardly, "I sorta got a new card and forgot to update my information."

Jisoo sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Seriously? We waited hours for Jennie to get back so she could explain and it turns out it was _you _this whole time?"

Chaeyoung looked away, fidgeting as the room suddenly seemed so small and tight. Her face flushed red and she mumbled an apology, playing with her hair as an attempt to distract herself from the two pairs of eyes watching her hungrily.

"What time is it?"

Pulling out her phone, Chaeyoung's eyes widened when she caught sight of the time, "It's two in the morning- I need my beauty sleep and Jisoo needs to get going."

Jisoo looked around the room, "Um, actually, would you mind if I stayed here? It's just I live all the way in Wonju and I don't really want to be getting a taxi or walking home at this time of the night."

"Fine, but you're sharing a room with Jennie: I want you two to kiss and make up."

────

Chaeyoung had gotten her way with the sleeping arrangements. Currently Jennie was nestled up in her bed, unable to sleep, whilst Jisoo was curled up on an old mattress that she'd dragged out of the attic, laying only a few feet away from Jennie herself.

There was an awkward silence between the two, and it certainly wasn't because they were meant to be asleep. Jisoo was feeling slightly homesick and nervous, incredibly aware of the suffocating tension riddling the air, and Jennie couldn't quite describe the way she was feeling.

Yet if she had to, she'd choose the words nostalgic.

_It had been November _ _2013 when Jennie Kim had the (looking back on it, dis)pleasure of meeting Kim Jisoo. She was a ripe freshmen at South Korea International College, just looking to graduate with a fashion degree and start a bright career, but their meeting had thrown all her plans off._

_She'd walked into the campus with her hefty black suitcase (it had been far too much in her opinion, but her overbearing mother had insisted on bringing nearly all of her belongings) and had been absolutely baffled as to where student reception was._

_Whilst South Korea International had only very little attendees it had one of the largest campuses in the country. Jennie sighed, not knowing how she'd gotten a scholarship to one of the world's most prestigious schools if she couldn't even work the campus map._

_Looking to her watch, she grumbled when she noticed she only had half an hour until she had to be at the induction ceremony. It wasn't exactly a great first day of college, but that changed when she had the luck of stumbling into an upperclassman. _

_The elder girl looked at Jennie with a disgruntled smile, her arms linked with a slightly younger girl, "Can I help you?" She asked, her eyes raking up and down Jennie's body. The girl hanging off her arm leaned in and whispered something in her ear, causing the elder one of the two to smirk slightly._

_Jennie shuffled nervously, suddenly weary of what she was wearing and how she looked. Was she not pretty enough? The two infront of her had the looks of supermodels, obviously they would think she was ugly. Oh God, she shouldn't have come._

_"Um... no. Sorry." Jennie's eyes flashed with panic as she turned around, fully prepared to run away and drop out, yet a hand latching around her arm stopped her in her tracks. She looked back in fear, expecting to see a fist flying towards her face, but her body slightly relaxed when she saw the younger of the two giving a small smile._

_"What's your name, sweetheart?"_

_The elder girl nudged her in the ribs slightly, but the younger one's smile only dropped momentarily before it returned. Jennie looked between them, seeing one with an impassive, bitchy (yet somehow childish) face and the other with a soft, supple appearance._

_Stammering, Jennie blushed and looked down slightly, "Jennie... Jennie Kim."_

_"Alright. I'm Seulgi and this is Joohyun." Seulgi smiled and gestured between herself and Joohyun, the elder one still giving Jennie a bone-chilling gaze, "You look a little lost- do you need some help getting around?"_

_Nodding, Jennie bowed her head, "Thank you. I can't find the gym and I need to be there for my induction."_

_"Oh, you're a freshman." Seulgi turned to Joohyun, tapping the disinterested girl's arm lightly, "Hey, ba- Joohyun. Don't you have a friend that's a freshman? She got early acceptance... right?"_

_Joohyun rolled her eyes and nodded, her cold attitude completely contrasting her gentle looks and Seulgi's bubbly actions, "Yeah. Park Sooyoung." She finally stated, swatting Seulgi's arm away from her._

_"Right, anyway." Seulgi looked back to Jennie, realising that she'd gotten off track with talking to Joohyun. She pointed to a large building where dozens of students were filing in to, and Jennie nearly facepalmed at how obvious it should've been as to where freshmans were meant to be, "That big hall there is the gym. Pro tip from me, don't sit on any of the seats on the fourth row: they always break for some reason."_

_Jennie smiled, "Thanks. I'll make sure not to sit on those seats, then."_

_"Do you know what hall you're staying in, yet?"_

_Jennie pulled a sheet of paper out of her pocket and let her eyes scan over it, trying to ignore Joohyun's heated gaze as she wordlessly begged Seulgi for the two to leave. Finally spotting the information she needed, Jennie looked back to Seulgi, "Um... I think I'm in Blackvelvet."_

_"Yay!" Seulgi squealed, clapping her hands excitedly, "We're in the same hall, so maybe we'll be neighbors. And if that doesn't sound good to you, then just be happy you're not in Bigbang, apparently Seungri creeps on all the girls, or EXP Ed."_

_"What's wrong with EXP Ed?"_

_"...everything."_

_Jennie decided to leave the conversation at that, looking worriedly at the gym and seeing the line of students dwindling, suggesting she needed to get a move on, "I should probably be getting to the gym."_

_"Right. Hopefully we'll see you around- and don't forget to say hi to Sooyoung from us."_

_Joohyun nodded, although definitely not agreeing with most of Seulgi's words, and gave Jennie a tiny smile that she almost missed. Maybe the older girl wasn't so bad._

_"Yeah. See ya." _

_Jennie waved as she turned away and made her way to the gym, trying to fight off the smile that grew on her face as she heard Joohyun and Seulgi begin to argue about someone named Wendy. She didn't know if they would be her friends, but atleast now she felt better about being here._

The memory brought a grin to Jennie's face, realising that they _had _infact became her friends and that they still were. It was crazy to her how a chance encounter had given her the best friends she could ever ask for, but it was even crazier that back then she'd missed the signs of the two being hopelessly in love.

She shook her head at the silly memory, remembering the actual induction.

_Jennie had listened to Seulgi's advice on not sitting on the fourth row, instead deciding to play it safe and sit on the sixth. The bleachers were almost full of freshman, and Jennie found the large array of different cultures around her both pleasing and strange._

_As a kid she hadn't really been exposed to that many people of different races other than white and asian, which was probably why she had thought of her school as (according to her facebook posts) 'fucking gay'._

_Now, it was intimidating to be surrounded by so many cultures she'd never met before and knew nothing about, but she'd make the best out of it and hopefully get some new friends._

_A loud ringing interrupted Jennie's staring and her eyes snapped to the stage, finding a man stood holding a microphone, "Welcome, freshman, to South Korea International College. I hope it wasn't too hard to find the gymnasium."_

_Yes. It was too hard._

_"I'm going to keep this short and sweet so you can all go off and find your dorms and classrooms-"_

_By short and sweet it turns out the headmaster had meant ninety minutes of dragging out the assembly and repeating the same three points (respect, learn and obey) over and over again until he finally dismissed them._

_Jennie was slightly saddened that nobody's seat on the fourth row had broken but she pushed the thought away as she was herded to one of the tables where she'd receive everything she'd need and schedule._

_It only took about half an hour to get to the front of the line, and she was quickly handed a few sheets of paper, her campus pass and her room keys before the next person was called. Jennie hadn't expected college life to be so independent, but she was going to have to deal with it._

_She made her way out the hall, walking slowly as she tried to read the dorm information she'd been given. The hall was Blackvelvet (well, she'd already known that) and she was in room 2016._

_"Hey, Jennie!" The sound of Seulgi's voice got Jennie's attention, and the girl looked up to find Joohyun and Seulgi stood by an unfamiliar girl. Jennie smiled and waved at them, only receiving one wave back, as she made her way towards the three._

_"Hey! Have you guys been waiting here all this time?" Jennie asked, looking between Joohyun and Seulgi with a grin still on her face._

_"Nah. We had music class and then figured we might aswell come get Sooyoung and take her to Blackvelvet hall." Seulgi gestured to the girl next to her, remembering she didn't know who Sooyoung was, "Oh, right, you haven't met her. Jennie, this is Sooyoung: Sooyoung, this is Jennie. Maybe you'll be roommates."_

_"Hi." Jennie greeted sheepishly, all the confidence suddenly being arrived upon seeing someone new. Sooyoung was a pretty girl, just like her friends. She had a rounded face and pretty pink lips that faded into a smile upon Jennie's words. Her hair was brown with dyed green tips, reminding Jennie of herself ten or so years ago when her mum had (for some unknown reason) allowed her to dye her own hair._

_Sooyoung radiated innocence and naivety, and Jennie partially felt bad for how hard Sooyoung was going to find college life, "Hey." Her Korean was slightly shaky, puzzling Jennie. Sooyoung definitely wasn't a foreigner (she knew a Korean like she knew the back of her hand)._

_She looked to Seulgi with confusion, "Sooyoung's lived in Australia for the majority of her life so her Korean isn't the best- I hope that's not a problem."_

_"No, not at all." Jennie spoke in English as she turned to Sooyoung, happy to find some sense of familiarity at such a strange place, "I'm actually from New Zealand, myself, so I think it'll be nice to have someone like me."_

_"Awesome!"_

Jennie often regretted not staying in contact with Sooyoung considering she'd been the girl to help her get through some of her darkest times in college (yet, somehow, she'd also been the cause of them).

Jisoo's snoring disturbed Jennie's peaceful state, and the New Zealander rolled her eyes.

_"So," Seulgi started, the four of them walking down the Blackvelvet hall in search of their rooms, "What room are you in? Hopefully we'll be close by."_

_Jennie reached for the sheet in her pocket, still lugging her suitcase behind her, yet she stopped when she remembered the number off the top of her head, "I think I'm in room 2016."_

_"Oh."_

_Stopping in her tracks, Jennie looked to Seulgi, "Oh? What do you mean 'Oh'?" Her body flushed with panic, worrying that she'd been placed with some serial killer, or worse... a_ _ boy. Yuck. She'd rather be brutally murdered in her sleep by her serial killer roommate than be forced to share a room with a boy._

_That didn't make her gay, of course. It was just a preference: a preference that loads of straight women have. Boys are messy, but girls are clean and smell good: boys just smell like sweat all the time. Like seriously, you do realise deodorant and body spray exist, right? Or, potentially worse, when boys cover themselves with an entire can of axe. Jennie couldn't even count the amount of times she'd been choked by the ridiculous amount of body spray emanating off just a single boy._

_Boys were a no go in her book, and if she were roomed with one then she'd surely be requesting a change of roommate. Fear flashed in her eyes at the thought as she waited for Seulgi's answer, praying that she wouldn't have the misfortune of being with a boy. Please, anything but that._

_Seulgi and Sooyoung laughed at the look on Jennie's face, and Joohyun even dared to crack a smile, "Oh my God, Jennie. It's not that bad. You're just with Jisoo, is all, and she's been known to be a bit hard to have as a roommate- which is why she didn't have one until you came along. Rumors have it Hye-Jin had the misfortune of being roommed with her and one day she woke up with a massive spider dangling over her face. Turns out it was a prop, but she was deathly arachnophobic and had to move."_

_Joohyun nudged Seulgi once again, reminding the girl that she was getting off track (was this a common thing for Seulgi? It had happened twice already), "Anyway, she's a great girl as long as your friends. She's actually really funny and her pranks are hilarious, as long as you're not on the receiving end, so just play nice and it'll be all good."_

_Jennie let out a sigh of relief, glad to know that she wouldn't have to go through the torture of being roommates with someone of the opposite gender, "That's not too bad, I guess. What room are you guys in?"_

_"Me and Joohyun are in room 2014 with Wendy, so we're just opposite from you."_

_Sooyoung looked at her own sheet, "I'm in 2015." She seemed saddened by the fact she wasn't with any of her friends, but Joohyun wrapped a reassuring arm around her and stroked her shoulder soothingly._

_"That's alright: you're next door to us. And I'm pretty sure that room's empty, so this year you'll have it all to yourself, but next year you'll probably get a roommate."_

_Sooyoung nodded, giving Joohyun a small smile as a way of thanking her for making her feel better. Jennie blinked in confusion, looking between Seulgi and Joohyun as they continued their way down to the end of the hall, "Wait, how come you've got three people in your room?"_

_"Oh, yeah. You don't know. Wendy used to be in Pristin hall a couple years back but it got shut down considering how bad the health and safety there was so she just stays with us. She's actually meant to be in Twomoo hall."_

_Jennie nodded, wondering nothing other than why the hell these halls were named what they were. Bigbang and Blackvelvet, she got them: they made sense. But Twomoo and EXP Ed... what the hell was that all about? Did they just put some letters together and call it that? Or did they let someone with a stroke pick the names?_

_"What other halls are there?"_

_"On floor one is solo: that's got people like Chungha and Sunmi, otherwise known as the richest people on campus. Floor two is Twomoo. Floor three _ _**was **Pristin, but it's closed, although I heard they're gonna open it again under the name Hinapia-"_

_"Seriously?" Joohyun asked as they came to a stop infront of their rooms, "You really believe that stuff? You should know by now that you cannot trust a single word that comes out of Miyeon's mouth: there's a reason she got kicked out of our hall."_

_Seulgi shrugged, ignoring Joohyun's words as she continued, "So floor four is the best floor, AKA our floor, AKA Blackvelvet. Five is the last of the female floors, they're Idle. They kind of go downhill from there with Bigbang on six, EXP Ed on seven, eight is Bangtan, and nine and ten are Neo Culture Planet, but that's long so we just call them NCP."_

_"Why has Neo Cult- damn you're right that is long- why has NCP got two floors?" Jennie asked._

_"There is **so **many of them. Anyway, we're at the rooms so I guess you should go meet your roommate. We'll be just across the hall. Good luck."_

_The three waved goodbye to Jennie as they all slipped into room 2014, Sooyoung refusing to go into her own room because she didn't want to be alone. Jennie breathed in deeply, unlocking the door with her keys and pushing it open, "Hello?" She called out, "I'm Jennie, I'm your new roommate!"_

_She looked around the room, seeing no one inside and the TV turned off. She shrugged, figuring Jisoo was out (good? Bad? She wasn't sure) and she pushed the door shut behind her. A tap on her shoulder almost caused Jennie to piss herself as she practically shot up into the air, screaming in surprise._

_A cruel laugh was heard behind her, and Jennie blushed with fury and embarrassment, "What the fuck are you playing at? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" She turned around, spotting the girl, who she assumed was none other than Jisoo herself, still cackling with laughter, "What the hell is wrong with you?"_

_Jisoo's eyes cracked open as she continued to laugh, looking Jennie up and down. She held a hand up, signalling for the girl to wait, as she tried to collect herself. After a few failed attempts, Jisoo finally calmed down and was able to form a coherent sentence without bursting into giggles, "Well aren't you a-" She wheezed again, "A big ray of sunshine."_

_"Do you hate me or something? What was the point in scaring me shitless on my first day?" Jennie's tone became more mellow as she spoke, suddenly feeling stupid and flustered, "You were a freshman too, once. You should know how hard the first day is without being made to look like a fool by the girl you'll be living with for the rest of your time in college."_

_Jisoo quirked an eyebrow, "Rest of your time? None of my roommates have even been able to make it through a full term of living with me, and now you think I'm gonna be living with you for three more years? Sorry, princess, but you'll have changed rooms by next week: freshmans are always the easiest to get rid of."_

_Jennie's sadness was immediately replaced with rage once again, and she narrowed her eyes, "You-" She shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Jisoo, "You fucking bitch!" She stormed away, wanting nothing more than to get away from that sorry excuse of a human being._

_Jisoo smirked, and all Jennie could think of was how she'd rather have had a man as a roommate._

The thought of Jisoo immediately put Jennie in a bad mood and she twisted over so she wouldn't have to face the same direction as her, not even wanting to be in the same room as her. Jennie felt restless just by being in the room with her, and she didn't want to imagine what it'd be like if they were in the same bed.

Huffing, Jennie threw her covers over her and jumped out of bed, acknowledging the fact Jisoo was awake, "Where are you going?" The landlady asked in a croaky voice, buried in a pit of blankets as she huddled for protection against Seoul's chilly temperatures.

"To Chaeyoung's room."

_Sooyoung giggled as Jennie led her into room 2016, dragging her by her hand as the two stumbled through the open door. Jennie threw it shut and pushed Sooyoung's back against it, wrapping her arms around her neck and pulling her into a messy kiss._

_The two had been secretly hooking up for the past few months, and despite Jisoo's promise Jennie **had **indeed made it past a term sharing a room with her. Infact, she was still standing strong nearly at the end of her freshman year._

_But that wasn't what she should be thinking about in that moment. Instead, Jennie focussed on pulling off Sooyoung's shirt and guiding her away from the door with shut eyes, staggering to the bed._

_Sooyoung gently pushed Jennie onto the bed, smiling at the image of her lover's body sprawled out atop white sheets, the purity of the colour completely contrasting the dirty actions about to take place, "Are you sure Jisoo won't come back?"_

_She didn't really seem to care considering she was already climbing atop of Jennie and straddling her as she helped the elder girl tug her shirt off, bringing her back into a searing kiss as she allowed her hands to roam Jennie's chest._

_"Uhhuh." Jennie mumbled into Sooyoung's lips, her trimmed nails (Sooyoung had insisted once they had started hooking up) digging into her lover's smooth back._

_Sooyoung nodded slightly, helping Jennie get her belt off as she pulled the girl's shorts off, "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, Jennie."_

_Jennie blushed furiously: no matter how many times Sooyoung repeated those words it would always have the same effect on her. Sooyoung's hands palmed Jennie's thighs as she moved her mouth lower, leaving ripe purple marks on the older girl's collarbones and lower neck (couldn't let anyone see, especially not Joohyun)._

_The two became lost in one another's bodies as they continued to undress until they were completely naked and Jennie was begging Sooyoung for what she wanted. In fact, they were so lost in one another that they didn't even notice Jisoo walk into the room, still sweaty from her workout at the gym._

_Jisoo's eyes widened at the sight in front of her, "What the hell are you doing?" She screamed, suddenly out of breath for a reason that definitely wasn't excercise._

_Sooyoung and Jennie immediately shot apart like two magnets of the same polarity: the same but never meant to be together. Jennie looked to her roommate with fear and silent pleading in her eyes, "Please, Jisoo." She begged, shielding hers and Sooyoung's body with the blanket._

_Shaking her head, Jisoo turned away and walked out the room. Sooyoung let out a sigh of relief, thinking they were in the clear and that Jisoo would just act as if it had never happened, but Jennie knew better. She wished that in that moment she'd gotten out of bed and convinced Jisoo to keep her mouth shut. Maybe then things would've turned out different._

_Sooyoung rolled over in the bed, stroking Jennie's knuckles lightly, "I love you."_

_That was the second time Sooyoung had ever said those words, and the first time to Jennie._

_It was also the last time._

Jennie grumbled under her breath as she made her way to Chaeyoung's room, not even bothering to knock as she bulldozed in. Chaeyoung groaned, sitting up in bed as she eyed Jennie, "Jen-"

"Shut up."

The older girl shut the door behind her and climbed into Chaeyoung's bed without another word, pulling the covers back over the two of them as she snuggled into her roommate's side. Chaeyoung looked at Jennie with confusion but figured she could ask tomorrow considering Jennie obviously wasn't in the mood.

The two fell asleep with their limbs tangled together, faces inches apart, and their hearts beating in sync.


	19. MORE OF YOU

"Any plans?"

It was another day in the Park-Kim household, and the roommates (plus Jisoo) were trying to enjoy a breakfast of burnt toast and eggs despite the immeasurable amount of tension in the room. Chaeyoung had been the one to ask the question, naturally holding the neutral ground between the two Kims─ despite her obvious bias towards one of them.

Jennie had opened her mouth to reply but Jisoo had beat her to it, smiling eagerly as she dropped the slice of toast on her plate, "Well, I think I'm just going to watch television all day!"

Rolling her eyes, Jennie nibbled on her toast. Annoyance coursed through her at Jisoo's seemingly-innocent words─ but she knew the girl had an ulterior motive. She had to.

"At your own house... right?" Jennie flashed Jisoo a wry smirk, and Chaeyoung looked between the two in confusion. She'd known something had happened last night (Jennie wouldn't just climb in her bed for no reason), but the specifics still remained a mystery to her.

"Actually, I was thinking of staying with the two of you for another night. Just so I can meet─"

Jennie groaned loudly, cutting Jisoo off mid sentence, "Don't remind me. Please. I've had enough headache with just one roommate, never mind another one. Hopefully she's a bit more tolerable and less clingy."

"I like to think we've become quite close friends, Jennie." Pouting, Chaeyoung crossed her arms. She knew at this point to take every word of Jennie's with a grain of salt, but the reminder of her past behaviour caused her embarrassment to no end.

Jennie snorted, "Yeah. After I was practically groped by some guy in a club and you had to come in and save me, now look where that's gotten you? You hardly talk to Lis─" She stopped, realising how much damage her words were causing: the quiver in Chaeyoung's bottom lip, the tears blossoming at the corner of her eyes, "Oh shit. I don't mean that, Chae."

"It's fine." 

It wasn't.

"It's the truth, anyways, so you should say it."

Jennie nodded slowly, no longer having much of an appetite left in her. Jisoo looked between the two, "Lisa? Is that the same Lisa that Irene told me you had an argument with at her engagement party?"

"Jisoo." Jennie hissed, watching as a look of betrayal and realisation dawned upon Chaeyoung's face, "Not right now."

Tilting her head, Jisoo's eyes flickered between Jennie and Chaeyoung, and her face slowly dropped, "Oh." She replied simply, "Oh. You didn't tell her? Y'owch, Jennie. Sorry Chaeyoung."

"I'm going out."

"What?"

Jennie watched in horror, unable to do anything as Chaeyoung rose to her feet and practically threw her empty plate in the sink. The raven-haired girl stormed away to get change, and Jennie let out a sigh as her eyes threw daggers at Jisoo.

The landlady raised her hands in surrender, "Hey. Not my fault you didn't tell her about your little run in with that Lisa girl."

"Y'know what?" Jennie shot up from her chair, letting it clatter behind her as it made impact with the ground, "Fuck you, Jisoo. You can never let me be happy: not now, and certainly not when we were in university."

"Well maybe if you'd made me happy instead of lying your tits off we wouldn't be in this situation!"

Jisoo snarled as she too stood to her feet, throwing a pointed finger at Jennie and an even more pointed look. Jennie shook her head, her face heating with rage as she tried to stop herself from jumping over the table and choking Jisoo to death with her bare hands, "You're really going to make me the bad guy? You didn't have to out my sexual experiments to the entire campus just because you were a bit pissed with me."

"Are you sure they're just experiments?" Jisoo folded her arms, "The way you're acting with Chaeyoung suggests your fluid sexuality runs much deeper than a hook-up with Park Sooyoung. I can't wait till tomorrow where you finally realise how much pain you fucking caused me that day."

Furrowing her brow, Jennie frowned, "What the hell is that meant to mean?"

"You'll find out."

Jennie shook her head as she walked away to get changed, barely acknowledging Chaeyoung as she brushed past her on the stairs and left the house. She couldn't be in the same space as Jisoo anymore: not unless she wanted to end up beating the landlady to death.

────

Jennie walked quickly as she scrolled through her phone, looking to find Chaeyoung's contact. She knitted her brows together when she couldn't find it, having looked for about three minutes, and a sigh escaped her when she realised she'd never actually asked for Chaeyoung's number.

Jesus. What kind of friend was she?

Not a good one. 

Pushing the dissuading thoughts away, Jennie grumbled as she tried to think of anywhere Chaeyoung could be. The arcade? No─ she wouldn't want to go back there unless she wanted to cry over hers and Lisa's memories. Work? Maybe... she did have a shift later today.

With her mind settled Jennie began her brisk walk to work, thinking of how she should... apologise. God those words were strange to her: Jennie Kim almost never apologised to anyone. Especially not some stupid, annoying (in reality: amazing, adorable) girl she hadn't even known for that long.

She settled on making a quick stop on her way to Honey Pots, figuring if Chaeyoung had decided to take an earlier shift then she wouldn't be leaving any time soon. It didn't take Jennie long to pick out the perfect 'please forgive me' gift, and she left the shop carrying a plastic bag that was much heavier than it should've been.

Jeez, how much did water weigh?

Jennie figured she could lend some of her old stuff from college─ and before you go on about how having a pet is against the rules, it was a fish. Okay? Alright. Jisoo wasn't exactly fond on pets either, which is why Jennie was forced to have two teddies named Kuma and Kai rather than two real dogs, but she thought Jisoo would maybe make an exception for the girl she seemed so very fond of.

She wasn't jealous. Nope. Not one bit.

Before she knew it she was standing in front of Honey Pots, and Jennie realised she still hadn't managed to think of an apology. 'I'm sorry for fighting with your friend that you haven't seen in over a week and not telling you about it, please take this fish as a sign of goodwill' didn't exactly have the best ring to it.

Jennie shrugged it off, figuring she could wing it, but her heart continued to thump obnoxiously loud. God, why was she so nervous? She pushed the front door open, the ringing of the bell seeming a million times louder than ever.

Behind the counter stood Jongin, and she returned his chipper grin with an uneasy smile of her own, "Hey, Jen." He greeted as she made her way over, his eyes roaming her thrown-together outfit, "You look great."

"Um... thanks." She rubbed the nape of her neck uneasily.

"I thought you weren't working till later?"

"Yeah. I'm actually here to see if Chaeyoung stopped by."

Jongin quickly took a a customers order and started to prepare it. With his back face towards Jennie he responded, "She popped in... maybe half an hour ago? Said she wanted to speak to Solar about something."

"Could you get her for me?"

Nodding, Jongin grabbed the freshly-made cappuccino and passed it towards the customer with a friendly smile, "Sure." He poked his head into the management room located just by the bar, mumbling some words to Solar that Jennie couldn't quite hear. He turned back to Jennie, moving out the way as Solar briskly stepped out of the office.

"Come to resign?" Solar asked, her arms folded as she directed a knowing look towards Jennie.

The younger girl recoiled with bewilderment, "What? No. Why would you think that?"

"Seemed like you and Chaeyoung had a lover's quarrel: figured you'd want to get as far away as possible, starting with your job."

"Why does everyone think we're lesbians?"

"I don't."

"Thanks, Jongin."

Solar shrugged, "You just give off that vibe: an old married couple that argue over which show to watch but still can't get enough of eachother." She sighed, shaking her head as she imagined the scene, "Anyway, Jongin said you were asking about her."

"Yeah... and?"

"She did stop by, telling me she wasn't going to be able to work today and that she was going somewhere."

"And that somewhere is..?" Jennie nodded expectantly, egging Solar to go on, but her boss frowned and narrowed her eyes at Jennie. She waited momentarily, tilting her head forward and signalling the woman to hurry up and get on with it, but Solar wiggled a finger at her.

"No."

Jennie scowled, "What do you mean, no?"

"No I'm not going to tell you where she is."

Jennie stomped her foot like she was having a tantrum, drawing the attention of a few customers towards her, "And why the hell not? I have every right to know where she is!" Okay, she had no right at all and probably sounded like a stalker saying that she did, but who could blame her for wanting to know?

"If she wanted you to know where she was she would've tell you... and she didn't... so she doesn't."

Solar was right on every level, but Jennie shook her head, holding up the plastic bag containing the goldfish to Jongin and Solar. The two gasped, not having noticed it, "Look at this thing!" Jennie waved her other arm around, pointing at the fish, "I bought this to make up for what I'd done─ and now it'll probably die without ever getting to meet the girl that's meant to be its owner!"

"Jesus, Jennie. What kind of psychopath are you? Get that thing out of my shop before it dies."

"Only if you tell me where Chaeyoung is!"

"What kind of deal is that?"

"Solar, I swear to god if you don't tell me I'll throw this bag on the floor right now!"

Jennie would never do that, but Solar's immediate submission made the empty threats all worth it. 

"Fine." Solar conceded, grabbing a piece of paper and scribbling an address on it, "She's at MoonStar."

Jennie looked at the paper in disbelief, "Why would she be at a tattoo shop."

"To get a tattoo? Go ask her, you idiot!"

────

Jennie shuffled awkwardly at the entrance of MoonStar's parlor, wondering if she looked the part to go into a place that was surely full of men covered in tattoos and black-inked teardrops just below their eye. She shuddered at the thought, wondering if Chaeyoung would still be the same when she came out.

Nevertheless she hesitantly pushed the door open, her heart pounding with fear. She was pleasantly surprised to find that MoonStar's parlor wasn't anything like The Salty Spitoon. Infact, it held quite a modern, classy design.

The walls were painted jet black yet covered in white markings, presumably of tattoos the owner had given and deemed artistic enough to put on the wall, and signatures from famous idols were framed all in the entrance room.

She looked around in awe, recognizing the names of her idols hanging above her. It was almost unreal to be standing in the same room where legends like Hyuna and Sunmi had once been, but here she was: amongst the stars.

"Can I help you?"

A voice jolted Jennie from her reverie, and she turned to the woman with a small smile on her face, "I'm actually looking for my friend: Park Chaeyoung." Her eyes trailed slightly, landing on the woman's name tag: Chungha.

Chungha nodded, walking over to the desk and typing Chaeyoung's name in the computer, "She's actually getting a tattoo right now, but I can tell her you stopped by looking for her."

"Can't I go in and see her?"

"Not unless she says so." Chungha shrugged impassively, "Sorry." She wasn't really sorry. Why would she be? It wasn't the end of the world that Jennie couldn't go and see Chaeyoung, she could've been some stalker, for all Chungha knew, but to Jennie it felt like the world had come crashing at her feet.

She shook her head, "Can't you just ask. It's been a bit of a rough day." She felt her throat tighten as she spoke, and a deep sense of shame and weakness ran throughout her. How pathetic must she look?

Chungha sighed, recognising the look of doom upon the girl's face, "Fine. I'll ask for you: doesn't mean it'll be a yes. What's your name?"

"Jennie Kim."

Shaking her head, Chungha pushed past a black curtain and into another room to go and ask Chaeyoung. It didn't take long before she was back and giving Jennie a nod, signalling for her to follow.

The two found themselves in a well-lit room, some music Jennie had never heard playing faintly in the back, where Chaeyoung sat in a chair, her shirt pulled down slightly in order to expose her back. A slightly smaller woman stood behind her, tattoo gun in hand as she decorated Chaeyoung with permanent words that'd stick with her for the rest of her life.

"More of you, less of me."

Jennie was surprised at Chaeyoung's sudden words, but she was more confused as to what she meant, "Huh?"

"Remember when I told you I wanted a tattoo?"

Of course Jennie remembered; how could she forget that night?

"I'm finally getting one."

Nodding, Jennie let her eyes flicker to the artist that was currently engraving Chaeyoung's porcelain skin with dark words. The artist momentarily allowed her eyes to meet Jennie's before focusing back on the exposed skin and the masterpiece she was creating, biting her bottom lip gently.

Jennie held the plastic bag out slightly, and Chaeyoung gave her a dazed look, "Um... I got you a fish." She spoke blankly, nothing else to say really coming to her mind. She swore she heard Chungha chuckle slightly, but she couldn't be too sure.

"Thanks?"

Of course Chaeyoung would be confused, you idiot. She thinks you randomly got her a fish.

"It's sort of a sorry present? Present... is that the right word? Probably not, but it's my apology. Yeah. That's the word." Jennie fidgeted awkwardly, feeling heat rise to her face with every passing second, "If you don't want him, her, it, whatever, then that's cool too, I guess. I just wanted you to know I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Lisa, and I'm sorry for being such a jerk to you in the past."

She let out a sigh of relief, feeling a pleasant weight immediately get lifted off her chest, "Wow. That felt good."

"You didn't have to get me a fish."

Shrugging, Jennie stared down through the clear plastic bag, watching with kind eyes as the fish fluttered around like leaves in a gentle autumn breeze, "I know. I just remembered you telling me about Orange and how he's all the way back in Australia, so I figured you should have another fish to keep you company. Probably a dumb idea, now that I think about it."

"Jennie─" Chaeyoung sighed, leaning deeper into the chair as the mechanical whir of the tattoo gun drilled numbingly into her mind. She could hardly think, "It's not silly. At all. It's actually really sweet, so thank you."

Jennie's eyes practically lit up with joy, "Does this mean you're not mad at me anymore?"

"No." Chaeyoung shook her head, and Jennie almost wilted at the honest words, "I'm still a bit mad, but I think I can forgive you."


	20. THE ULTERIOR MOTIVE

As the sun started to rise, signalling the beginning of a new day, Chaeyoung was still busy typing away. She hadn't slept since yesterday, and the day prior had drained her emotionally and mentally to the point where her eyes were drooping and she was already prepared to drop at any moment.

Not before she finished her chapter.

She'd been slacking as of late, spending her time worrying too much over Lisa and her relations with Jennie, and if she was going to make it as a published author she needed to step up her game. Chaeyoung groaned as sunlight began to crack through her curtains, covering the room with a refreshing orange glow.

Soaking it in, she let out a sigh and allowed her eyes to flutter shut. She would rest for a second and then she'd be back to work.

Next thing Chaeyoung knew she was jolted awake by the ringing of the front door, and she wiped a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth as she looked around in confusion. Her face fell when she realised she had fallen asleep, and she looked over to her laptop with eyes full of nothing. Despite feeling her new fish's eyes on her (she'd decided to name him Joohwangie in remembrance of Orange, her dear fish that she'd left back in Australia) she pushed the guilt and shame away and made her decision.

She was giving up.

Chaeyoung closed her computer down as she jogged down the stairs, finding Jennie and Jisoo stood in the landing. She gave them a dismissive smile as she went ahead and unlocked the front door.

Her heart dropped at the sight of the girl stood there, just as pretty as she had been all those years ago when Chaeyoung had last saw her. Her hair still fell the same, black tresses reaching just above her backside as they flowed smoothly like a spring.

She still had the same kind smile and slightly-rounded face, her lips painted a bold red: Chaeyoung's favourite shade on her. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out, and Jennie spoke instead.

"Sooyoung?"

Sooyoung's eyes flitted to the stairs where Jennie stood, her mouth slightly parted in shock, and her smile immediately dissolved. Her eyes darted between Chaeyoung, Jennie and Jisoo, pure horror growing on her face when Chaeyoung turned back to Jennie with a curious look, "How do you know Sooyoung?"

Scowling, Jennie folded her arms, "How do you know Sooyoung?"

"I dated her."

Jisoo choked on nothing but no one paid her any mind, too shocked by the words that Chaeyoung had dared to speak. Sooyoung looked behind her, as if checking if she could still make a run for it, but Chaeyoung had already grabbed her wrist and dragged her inside.

The door slammed shut behind her and the house fell quiet, Chaeyoung and Jennie throwing daggers at Sooyoung and Jisoo looking like she was about to start filming the conflict at any moment. 

No one made a move to speak, too suffocated by the deafening silence to even formulate a coherent sentence. Jennie looked between Chaeyoung and Sooyoung, her stern face crumbling with every passing second. 

"Ah─" What was Jennie meant to say to Chaeyoung? Infact, what was she meant to say to Sooyoung? She hadn't spoken to her since they were caught together by Jisoo, and now years later she had shown up again and Chaeyoung was claiming that they had dated. When? When she was hooking up with Jennie? Before? After? None of it made sense.

Chaeyoung's skin crawled at the tension in the room, her throat clogging up for some reason she couldn't quite grasp; she didn't know the specifics of Jennie and Sooyoung but she knew it couldn't be good. She eyed Jisoo, finding her watching the two nervously. Had she planned this?

"Wh─" She felt sick looking between her ex-girlfriend and her roommate, "What's going on?" 

She wasn't even sure she wanted to know.

Nobody answered her, and part of Chaeyoung was thankful for that, but she also felt goosebumps prick at her skin like thousands of tiny needles when she caught sight of the evil stare Jennie was directing at Sooyoung, "...Why?"

The words had done nothing to ease the atmosphere and Sooyoung shuffled uncomfortably on the spot, not knowing whether to lie or tell the truth. If she denied hers and Jennie's relationship to Chaeyoung she'd be destroying one of her best friend's heart, but if she denied hers and Chaeyoung's relationship to Jennie she could never forgive herself.

"She was my first love." Her eyes wandered to Chaeyoung, and the Australian's face slowly morphed into horror as she realised what Sooyoung was saying. How had she been so blind to what was right in front of her?

Sooyoung had been Chaeyoung's ulterior motive for coming to South Korea, wanting to see her love again considering the fact they hadn't spoken ever since Sooyoung left to study, but now she was here Chaeyoung couldn't even look at her. She turned her head away in shame, refusing to meet her ex-girlfriend's eyes.

They'd promised they could be together whenever they next met, wanting to hold onto the love that had started off as everlasting. Only now it had dwindled down the drain and in its space was the romance that had once been between Jennie and Sooyoung, casting Chaeyoung out the picture forever.

She didn't understand.

"I─" She cleared her throat and Sooyoung and Jisoo immediately look at her, Jennie too busy playing with her sleeve to face her, "I thought you were straight, Jennie."

The older girl shrugged, still not meeting her gaze, and responded quietly, "I am..." Was she? Could she even call herself straight if she had imagined a lasting relationship between herself and Sooyoung before Jisoo had ruined it all? She furrowed her brows, not wanting the thought to even cross her mind. She wasn't gay. She couldn't be. She wasn't allowed. She couldn't be. She wouldn't be.

"Well this turned out so much worse than I had originally expected." Jisoo laughed, looking between the three silent women, "I guess I better be off: you ladies need some time to decide sleeping arrangements... right?"

Jisoo shrugged when there was no response, saying one last goodbye before taking off out the front door. Jennie let out a heavy sigh, still not able to look at the other girls, and turned away, "I'm going for a smoke on the roof. Don't come get me unless the house is burning down."

Chaeyoung didn't think it would be appropriate to ask where the roof was, or, more likely, how to get to it, at that moment, so she made a mental note to ask Jennie later. She watched as her roommate walked up the stairs and out of sight, leaving Chaeyoung and Sooyoung stood in awkward silence.

"Chaeyoung─"

"You don't have to apologise."

She did. She should.

Chaeyoung smiled slightly, the corners of her mouth not quite reaching her eyes, and Sooyoung noticed how tired she seemed. The younger girl fidgeted slightly, "You can sleep in my room tonight, and we can figure out the rest tomorrow."

"Thanks, Chaeng."

Ignoring the nickname that used to make her heart flutter, Chaeyoung followed Jennie's footsteps and quickly ran up the stairs. She found peace and serenity in her room, but then the daunting guitar case caught her eye once again. Joohwangie's stare burned into Chayeoung as she slowly made her way towards the guitar case, unable to decide whether to burn the contents or to play.

She knelt down on both knees and flicked the latches open, gently pulling the case open with a soft simper on her face. No matter how hard she tried, she could not stop the racing of her heart everytime the thought of playing came to mind. Even if she thought she didn't want to play, that was the subconscious reason she'd even brought the guitar to Seoul in the first place.

It was like it was fate for her to find comfort in the strings after a moment of heartache.

Gently, she lifted the pale guitar from the prison Chaeyoung had kept it in for the past five years, seeing dust upon the wood. She brushed it off, making sure she was careful not to damage the instrument. Her fingers naturally found the strings and she played a few notes, happy to find the guitar was still in tune: like it had been waiting for her all this time.

Her eyes fell upon a few sheets she must've forgotten in the guitar case and she pulled them out with shaky hands, scanning their contents. She momentarily forgot how to breathe when she realised it was the song that had won her the school talent show: the song that had gotten her rejected from college.

She wanted to tear it up─ to burn it into nothing more than ash as she would scream into oblivion─ but she couldn't. Instead, she shoved it back into the guitar case and flipped the lid shut. She placed her guitar on the floor and grabbed the nearest pen and piece of paper. She began to scribble down her feelings in the form of song lyrics and chords, her tears staining the paper and smearing the ink in a messy pattern of hurt and heartbreak.

No matter how hard she tried to ignore the pain that Sooyoung's sudden arrival back in her life caused her, she just couldn't escape the feeling of betrayal and jealousy. She was so damn jealous. Her eyes narrowed and her veins popped at the thought of Sooyoung and Jennie─ the thought that at one time in their lives they had considered spending the rest of their lives with one another. Why wasn't that her? Why wasn't she Sooyoung─

Wait. That wasn't right. Why wasn't she Jennie? Yeah. That's it. That's what she meant.

By the time her tears had stopped falling and her mind was no longer an ocean of rage she had finished writing her lyrics and the notes that would go with them. She picked up her guitar and her fingers ran along the smooth rosewood, finding their places along the strings and neck.

She sniffled as she played the first few notes before opening her mouth and singing the lyrics quietly, conscious that Jennie and Sooyoung could be listening: she didn't want them to hear of her sorrow.

Her words came out pitched and messy as she sung, too busy trying to keep the tears at bay to pay proper attention to the technique she was using, but as she reached the chorus it all became too much and she allowed the tears to start once again.

"Now if I keep my eyes closed he looks just like you." Chaeyoung's eyes fluttered shut as her fingers ran along the strings, plucking them to the tune of her heart, "But he'll never stay, they never do."

She tried not to imagine what the lyrics meant to her, not wanting to know who she was talking to in the song: she was too scared to consider the numerous possibilities. Sooyoung, the obvious choice. She had caused her so much pain that Chaeyoung just wanted someone new to love.

Maybe that was Lisa. Maybe it was Jennie.

Yet the same could be said about the other two girls in Sooyoung's place. They'd all caused her so much trouble─ Lisa through stealing her heart and not even bothering to return it and Jennie through seeming to be the type of girl Chaeyoung would write about, at first, only to ruin her fantasies─ but she couldn't hate any of them.

She loved them all. In their own unique ways they each held a fragment of her heart, and Chaeyoung wished that they didn't so she didn't have to feel this way all the time.


	21. THE GREATEST

Lisa Manoban was, quite possibly, one of the bravest people you might ever have the fortune of meeting. She'd moved across the continent to escape her abusive step-father and had found herself in Seoul meeting one of the greatest girls she'd ever come to know.

Yet perhaps her step-father had been right when he'd said that she only knew how to destroy. She'd managed to destroy the only true friendship she'd ever had and any possibility of a love growing between herself and Chaeyoung... and for that she hated herself.

Why had she been so stupid? Because she was jealous? It was such a foolish mistake for Lisa to make. Even if Chaeyoung wanted to be with Jennie she should've respected that─ should've went about the situation in a better way. She had every right to be upset over Chaeyoung leaving her all of a sudden, but she had no place in feeling betrayed at the thought of them sharing a romance.

Along as Chaeyoung was happy she should be happy. That was true love, was it not? Maybe Lisa was toxic, maybe she didn't know how to really love somebody, maybe she should've listened to her step-father and learned from his teachings. 

She wasn't brave for leaving. She was a coward for running away from Thailand and leaving her mother all alone with that monster; she was lower than the dirt she scraped off her boots every night. If she were Chaeyoung then she would be ignoring her, not the other way around.

Lisa needed to fix things. And soon.

────

Chaeyoung sighed as her mother continued to nag over the phone, her voice pitched as she chewed her daughter up once again ("Why don't you call more? You have us all worried sick here in Australia. Do I need to come to Seoul myself?" ).

"Yes mom." She nodded despite the fact she knew her mother could not see her, trying her best not to hang up on the spot and receive an even bigger shouting session, "Tell Alice that I love her aswell, and that I miss her."

"Maybe if you called more often you could tell her that yourself."

Rolling her eyes, Chaeyoung let out a disgruntled noise that was neither an agreement or a disagreement, wanting to avoid any more yelling coming her way, "Is that all?" Truth be told she just wanted to hurry up and get the phone call over with so she could get her room ready for Sooyoung.

She had no clue where the older girl was meant to be sleeping, but one thing she knew for sure was that there was no way you'd catch her dead in the same bed as her ex-girlfriend. Call Chaeyoung immature all you want, but if your ex had slept with your current flatmate and was now moving in with the both of you surely you'd harbour some resentment.

"No. It's not." Of course it wasn't over. It seemed like Chaeyoung's mom's one mission was to ruin her daughter's life, "Alice and I will be flying over in December so we can spend Christmas with you. Your father would come but he's got some business conference─"

Chaeyoung chuckled dryly as she pinched the bridge of her nose, wondering if this day could get any worse: he always seemed to have some business thing. She checked the time, seeing it was getting late and she should start making some dinner by now, "Yeah. Okay. Just be weary that I have roommates, so don't be too over the top with it all. I should be going now, mom."

"Okay, Chaeyoung. Stay safe and make sure you're eating well: I don't want my little girl losing too much weight."

Chaeyoung laughed bitterly, knowing that it was too late for that. Even she herself had noticed the dramatic change in her figure despite only being in Seoul for a few months, and Chaeyoung wished either she or Jennie knew how to cook a proper meal, "Okay mom. I'll do that. I'll see you in December."

"Love you."

Letting out an exasperated breath, Chaeyoung looked over to the small picture frame she'd taken with her. It was one of her most prized possessions for behind its delicate glass it held one of her favourite memories. It was back when she and Alice were just little girls and her relationship with her father wasn't in pieces: the two sisters were sat atop a porcelain horse on a carousel as their father snapped a picture with a smile on his face, promising them ice cream if they both put on big, cheesy grins.

They hadn't needed the promise of ice cream, back then, but if that were to happen now not even ice cream would get the Park sisters to smile for their father. He hadn't necessarily done anything bad to the two of them, but his internalised homophobia had caused a drift between himself and Chaeyoung after her coming out, and Alice had naturally stuck with her sister.

"...Love you too."

She hung up after that, placing her phone on her bed with a deep exhale that was quickly overpowered by a roaring growl from her stomach. Chaeyoung stood up, thankful that no one had been around to hear that, and made her way downstairs, taking notice that Jennie was watching Pokemon in the living room.

When she walked into the kitchen she didn't expect to see Sooyoung rummaging around the cupboards and pulling random spices and ingredients out─ the majority of them being ones Chaeyoung had never heard of before. She halted in her tracks, confused, "What are you doing?"

"Do you and Jennie never leave the house or something? I've never seen a fridge so bare." Sooyoung totally disregarded Chaeyoung's question, grabbing a pack of noodles, "The chicken is barely in date. If I hated you I'd feed you the beef and give you food poisoning."

Chaeyoung shrugged, unsure whether that meant Sooyoung was going to poison her or not, "Are you making dinner?"

"Duh." Sooyoung snorted, slamming the cupboards shut as she grabbed a wok from near the oven and placed it atop the stove. She lit it gently and placed the wok atop the flame, grabbing some oil and pouring a small bit in, "Go and get three plates and some chopsticks, and then bring yourself back here and help me cut some salad."

They had salad?

Chaeyoung obeyed after a moment and searched around for the plates, eventually finding some and setting them on the table with a pair of chopsticks to go alongside them. She made her way to the living room, poking her head in and watching as Jennie immediately turned to look at her, "Sooyoung's making noodles."

"I guessed so."

"Right." Chaeyoung nodded awkwardly, slightly baffled by the sudden tension caused by the mention of Sooyoung. She had suspected it would be bad, but this was another level, "I need to talk to you about something after, by the way."

"Okay."

She left the room as quick as possible and made her way back to the kitchen, thankful to escape Jennie's heavy stare even if it meant being in the presence of her ex-girlfriend, "What do you want me to do, again?"

"Forgetful as ever, eh?"

Chaeyoung shook her head with a small laugh, slightly surprised that Sooyoung still remembered that dumb fact about her. It was, strangely, nice to know that she had impacted Sooyoung even after their break up─ she wondered to what extent that impact went.

"Just chop up those peppers and the spring onion." Sooyoung gestured to the old chopping board (that somehow looked brand new) she'd set out and the sharp knife that seemed practically unused. It really showed Jennie's lack of cooking skills and the fact she'd never really made an attempt to learn.

Nodding, Chaeyoung quickly washed her hands and went over to the chopping board, picking up the knife and clumsily beginning to cut up the spring onion. She was close to Sooyoung but for some reason she didn't mind listening as the other woman hummed along to the song that was faintly playing on the radio Chaeyoung had never really bothered to pay any attention to.

It was like nothing had ever happened. Maybe Chaeyoung was being dramatic in her attempts to avoid Sooyoung. The scene strangely reminded her of something a few years ago when their relationship had been nearing the one year mark. 

Sooyoung had been preparing dinner for the two, having come over to stay the night seeing that Chaeyoung's parents were on vacation with Alice, when her girlfriend had randomly come into the kitchen to see how she was doing. Chaeyoung had wrapped her arm's around Sooyoung's slender waist, pressing her stomach to her girlfriend's back as she let out a content sigh into her ear.

The older girl had laughed, lightly shaking her hips in a teasing manner, only to earn a playful groan from Chaeyoung. In the background one of Chaeyoung's favourite songs had been playing, but she had paid no mind to it considering a moment later she was stripping her girlfriend and turning the stove off, completely forgetting about dinner for the meal she had right in front of her.

Chaeyoung shook her head at the memory, trying to push away the stupid feeling of warmth that bloomed in her despite the fact she had moved on from that part of her life. For now she was just happy with rebuilding bridges with Sooyoung, and maybe later they could pick up where they left off.

She ignored the part of her that was questioning whether that was truly what she wanted as she finished cutting up the onions and started on the peppers. A faint smile remained on her face as she joined in with Sooyoung's humming, earning a grin from her ex-girlfriend.

The two continued to hum even as new songs started playing, happy with just being with one another without having to worry about trivial things such as words. Chaeyoung hadn't forgiven Sooyoung because there was nothing to forgive.

She had considered other relationships during the years without Sooyoung, so why couldn't Sooyoung just act on those thoughts? Maybe it was because Sooyoung had acted on them with Jennie: Chaeyoung's roommate and the girl she had considered her friend.

For some reason it seemed like everything went back to Jennie─ no matter whether it was good or bad.

When she finished with the peppers Chaeyoung dropped them into the stir fry, enjoying the pleasant crackling when she did so as the vegetables were quickly tainted brown by the various sauces and spices in the wok.

"That'll be done soon." Sooyoung commented, continuing to stir the noodles and chicken, "Can you go get Jennie for me?"

Chaeyoung nodded and washed her hands again, drying them as she quickly peeked into the living room, finding Jennie in the exact same position as she'd been in ten minutes or so ago, "Dinner's ready, Jen."

She received a dismissive grunt as a reply, and Chaeyoung paused. She stared at Jennie, unsure on whether to speak or stay silent and leave, but when she turned to go one last look at her sorrowful eyes changed her mind, "You okay?"

"No."

"Want to talk about it?"

"...Yes."


	22. WE SHOULD TALK ABOUT IT

Night had finally come and the three roommates were getting ready to go to bed, Jennie's earlier words still weighing in Chaeyoung's mind. They had been meaning to talk about it before dinner, but Sooyoung had called them in to eat and they'd just never really gotten the chance to finish the conversation they had started.

Chaeyoung looked over to Sooyoung, finding her already nestled in the bed they had decided to share. Her hair was elegantly swept round her shoulder as she stared up at Chaeyoung through her eyelashes, a gentle smile easily coming to her face. Yet the smile faded slightly when she noticed Chaeyoung's troubled look, "Are you alright?" She asked, sitting up to Chaeyoung's level.

"What?" Chaeyoung's eyes widened slightly as she was brought back to reality by Sooyoung's words. She unconsciously began to run her hands through her hair as she nodded, "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

Shrugging, Sooyoung dropped back down onto the bed, her hair in a puddle beneath her, "Dunno." She spoke dumbly, pulling her watch off her wrist yet never removing her eyes from her ex-girlfriend, "You just look like you have alot on your mind."

Chaeyoung hummed and flicked the bedside light off as she pulled the covers over her body, "I'm fine. Just thinking about something." She flipped her body over so that her back was facing Sooyoung, not wanting to be forced to look at the girl as she stared deeply into her soul.

The elder girl said nothing more about the subject, instead choosing to snuggle into Chaeyoung. Her eyes roamed upon the girl's back, reaching out as she caressed the silk baby-pink pyjamas: it seemed Chaeyoung hadn't changed. 

Or that was what she thought until she saw the black inkings upon Chaeyoung's upper back. Sooyoung grabbed the neck of the pyjama top and pulled it down slightly, seeing an unfamiliar piece of art staining the girl's pale skin. Chaeyoung yanked away at the feeling, flipping back over as she frowned at Sooyoung, "What do you think you're doing?"

Sooyoung recoiled slightly, "You never told me you had a tattoo."

Chaeyoung shuffled uncomfortably, adjusting her pyjama top again so the ink was covered, "Yeah... I got it the other day." Her mind went back to the experience: remembering how unexpectedly painful the tattoo gun had felt against her skin, how the pain had immediately became bearable the second Jennie walked into the room─

She clumsily fell out of the bed, staggering to her feet as she grabbed her slippers and put them on, trying her hardest not to fall over, "Um... I have something that I need to do." She flashed Sooyoung a wry grin, trying her hardest not to seem suspicious, "You'll be okay by yourself for a few minutes, right?"

Before Sooyoung could even answer, Chaeyoung had already left the room and made her way to Jennie's door. The older girl was left sat alone in bed, wondering if Chaeyoung would have ever done this for her when they were in love.

────

Chaeyoung stood infront of Jennie's door, waiting for the girl to answer her knocks. She'd probably been waiting for five minutes or so, but she was utterly petrified of the repercussions if she were to go in without Jennie's permission.

She slumped down against the door, her head banging against it accidentally with a violent thud. Chaeyoung rubbed her head, grumbling as she tried to ease the pain. Were these doors made out of metal or what?

Staring down at the floor, she waited patiently for Jennie to finally answer. Five minutes turned to ten, ten turned to fifteen, and finally there was a sign of life... but not from behind the door.

Towering above Chaeyoung, Jennie peered down at the girl with caring eyes, "What are you doing?"

"Where were you? I've been waiting here for, like, twenty minutes."

Jennie laughed, gesturing to the attic trapdoor, "I was up on the roof: that's how you get to it." She offered a hand and helped Chaeyoung up off the floor, watching as the younger girl brushed her pyjamas down, "Why were you waiting for me, anyway?"

"We never got to talk earlier."

Stiffly, Jennie nodded and gestured for Chaeyoung to step aside. The younger girl quickly obeyed, anticipating an answer. Instead Jennie pushed open her bedroom door and flicked the light on. She flopped head first on the bed as she let out a loud groan of relief.

Chaeyoung stood awkwardly in the hallway, unsure on whether she was meant to follow or not. Jennie cast her a look from under her eyelashes, smiling cheekily, "Are you gonna come in─ or are you just gonna stand there and stare?"

Shaking her head, Chaeyoung shut the door behind her as she entered Jennie's bedroom. This time, thanks to Jennie's say-so, she had the opportunity to look and notice things she hadn't seen before.

Pictures of Jennie and her family adorned the desk and bed-side table, showing Chaeyoung a side of Jennie that she'd only ever seen once or twice. Clothes were draped carelessly on the end of her bed and the room was notably less tidy than the last time Chaeyoung had been in it.

Jennie patted the bed next to her as she sat up, nudging her head as she awaited to for Chaeyoung. The younger grinned at the casual invitation and dropped back on the bed, looking up at the stars engraved on Jennie's ceiling in the form of white paint.

She let out a sigh as Jennie leaned back on the bed until she was matched with Chaeyoung, the two of them both staring contently up at the night sky immortalised in Jennie's room, "What's bothering you, Jen?"

Jennie's eyes flickered away from the ceiling and instead to Chaeyoung's face. She'd never really noticed the utter perfection that was her roommate. Her nose looked as if it had been carved by God himself, slightly arched inwards like an ocean wave. The slow rise and fall of her chest was so alluring for reasons that eluded Jennie. Her jawline was gently curved yet so sharp that it seemed like just caressing the smooth skin would wound Jennie. Her lips were full and tinted rosy pink: just like her cheeks.

If looks could kill Jennie would be dead.

Chaeyoung looked over at Jennie with furrowed brows, wondering why she was taking so long to answer, and the older girl's head immediately snapped away. This time it was Jennie's cheeks that were turning rosy pink.

The Australian directed her gaze back to the ceiling as she let the small smile appear on her face, happy that the appreciation of beauty wasn't one-sided.

"A lot of things."

"Like what?"

"Jisoo. Sooyoung. This whole situation."

Chaeyoung nodded simply. She understood the feeling completely. The heartbreak Sooyoung had put her through all those years ago had resurfaced when her ex-girlfriend first stepped foot into the apartment, and─ no matter how much she tried to lie to herself─ a small bit of that heartache would be there forever.

"I get it. Maybe not the whole Jisoo situation, but I get what you mean about Sooyoung."

Jennie let out a heavy breath, chuckling dryly as her eyes flickered back over to Chaeyoung. The younger girl rolled over so she was fully facing Jennie and their eyes met, staring deeply into one another's souls, "It's not fair that she gets to be happy and we have to feel so..." Her voice choked as she held back tears, not wanting to show any weakness to Chaeyoung.

"You can cry Jennie─ it's normal to cry every now and then."

Blinking her tears away, Jennie shook her head rapidly. She turned her attention back to the ceiling, unable to meet Chaeyoung's gaze anymore in fear that she'd see the utter despondency in her soul, "I can't cry; if I cry then it means that she's won."

Chaeyoung immediately reached out, her hand hovering barely an inch above Jennie's bare arm, "Can I... touch you?"

Jennie laughed slightly but it quickly turned into a choked sob as soon as Chaeyoung's fingertips met her skin. Tears dripped down the sides of her face, conflicted on which path to take, and Jennie sniffled, "God. I'm so pathetic: crying because you put your hand on me."

She wiped the tears away but it did nothing to stop the brutal onslaught that followed. She cried silently, not daring to let out another accidental whimper or snivel, and all Chaeyoung could do was watch as every glassy tear that fell twisted the knife that had been stabbed into her heart by Sooyoung's return.

"It's okay." Chaeyoung whispered, shuffling slightly closer to Jennie, "It'll be okay. You're okay. I promise."

Jennie nodded as she continued to lament her heartbreak, "I'm not okay." She bawled, squeezing her eyes shut in a failed attempt to stop the tears from falling, "I haven't been okay for so long. Look at me: I'm twenty five and work at some no-name cafe. Nobody wants models my age─ I'm too old... I'm ugly."

"No you're not." Chaeyoung shook her head, "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life."

"You don't mean it."

"I do."

Silence fell as Jennie's tears slowly began to stop. She wiped her eyes, feeling the sign of her sorrow drying on her cheeks as a disgusting reminder of how weak she had been. She could barely breathe, absolutely crushed by Chaeyoung's reassurance and Sooyoung's return.

Chaeyoung looked over to her, weary of how upsetting what she was about to say could be, "Um─ Jennie. I don't wanna ask this, but do you─ have you─ are you... hurting yourself?"

She stopped breathing with anticipation, unsure on whether Jennie was going to scream at her and tell her to get out or break down again and tell her all of her troubles. The first option seemed more rational than what Jennie actually replied with.

"When I was younger, after Jisoo told everyone about Sooyoung and me." Jennie sniffled, rolling over so that she could feel Chaeyoung's breath on her face and gauge her reaction, "But sometimes I think about killing myself."

Chaeyoung nodded firmly, unsure on what else to say other than, "What stops you?"

"Pain." Jennie looked down at her hands, as if examining if she would really be capable of inflicting such brutality upon herself, "There's no way to do it without pain. I can't get a gun and just get it over with by blowing my brains out, but I don't want to have to go through the agonising pain of bleeding out in my bathtub or downing a gallon of bleach. I think maybe that's why I don't eat: it's a substitute for ending my life."

Jennie sighed, dropping her hands back to the bed as she simpered softly at the girl infront of her, "But recently I've started to think about it alot less... thanks to you."

If the situation were any different Chaeyoung would've probably been happy to know that she was helping Jennie, but now she couldn't find any light in the words her roommate had spoken. Jennie needed real help─ and it was up to her to get it.

"Have you ever considered counselling?"

Jennie nodded, "Sometimes... but I'm too scared of telling people the stuff I think about."

"You've told me─ someone else won't be that different."

"I wish I could just talk to you about it."

Chaeyoung grabbed Jennie's hands gently, gazing deep into her eyes, "You can talk to me about it, Jennie. You can talk to me about anything. I just can't be the only one you rely on."

Jennie wished she could be.


	23. HOPE NOT

When Sooyoung awoke she was unsurprised to find the space in bed next to her empty. She sighed, sitting up slowly as she grabbed her phone and started scrolling through her unopened messages. Mom, dad, Irene, Jisoo─ no one that needed immediate attention.

She threw her phone back on the bedside table and dragged her body out of the bed. Slipping her watch on, the time read as half past seven. Sooyoung was never normally an early bird, but maybe a new environment was going to change that.

So much had changed without Sooyoung even wanting it.

Tying her hair up, Sooyoung slipped into the ensuite and quickly brushed her teeth. She stared blankly into her reflection; her eyes were hollowed and there was no sign of happiness on her face. Strange, really. Sooyoung was usually a ray of sunshine.

She spat the toothpaste out and put her toothbrush away as she brisked back into the bedroom and then into the hallway. Her feet pitter-pattered down the stairs as she made her way to the kitchen, wondering if she'd be eating the normal stale rice krispies and barely-consumable milk.

When she opened the cupboards up her answer was yes, of course she would. How could two grown women be so incapable of looking after themselves? Sooyoung shook her head as she pulled out a bowl and the box of cereal, taking note that there was only a few servings left.

Maybe she should go shopping─ but to do that she'd need money... and to have money she'd need a job. Sooyoung poured a generous serving of milk into her bowl and shoved the carton back into the dingy fridge, not even bothering to get a spoon as she sat down at the table and began lapping up the cereal.

Milk dribbled down the side of her face as she held the bowl against her lips, nearly choking on the particularly sharp rice krispies that practically slit the inside of her throat. Was this really what it had come to?

Perhaps Sooyoung had made a mistake coming back here for Chaeyoung... oh who was she kidding? She had made a mistake: the girl she loved had moved on and found somebody new, even if Chaeyoung didn't realise it yet.

────

Jennie was rudely woken by the sudden change in pressure on her mattress. She blinked an eye open, seeing Chaeyoung uneasily try to get off the bed without waking her (it hadn't worked at all).

"Ahem."

Chaeyoung startled and peeked down at Jennie, flashing a tight smile as she forced her body up. She smoothed down the creases in her clothes awkwardly. She looked as if she were about to make a run for it at any moment just to escape Jennie's hard stare.

"Hey..."

Raising an eyebrow, Jennie sat up, clearly unamused, "Hey? Why are you acting like you were just caught robbing a bank?"

Chaeyoung shrugged, "Why are you looking at me like I just robbed a bank?"

Jennie opened her mouth to refute, but in the end she knew Chaeyoung had a point. She nodded indifferently and brushed her hair out of her face with her long nails as silence settled upon the room.

Things were starting to come back to Jennie─ the things she said. She cringed in embarrassment, wondering how she had been so stupid as to spill stuff to a girl that she barely knew when she wouldn't even tell half of that to Seulgi or Joohyun.

"I'm─"

"I─"

The two stared at one another, clearly confused as to who should carry on. Jennie leaned forward and gestured for Chaeyoung to continue but the younger girl shook her head, "No. You first."

Jennie grumbled, "No─ you can go."

"You."

"You."

It was no longer about politeness and respect, it was now about getting the other to submit. Jennie glared fiercely at Chaeyoung as she barked at her to continue, but the Australian sternly folded her arms and waved for Jennie to continue.

"You were going to speak first, so you should carry on."

Jennie sighed, "Fine." She huffed and stood up, not feeling comfortable with the fact she was looking up at Chaeyoung like she was begging on her knees, "I was just going to say... I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have told you all that and put so much pressure on you─ sorry."

Chaeyoung cocked her head, "Why are you sorry? I practically forced you to talk to me, Jennie. I volunteered for that responsibility and it's no burden to me so long as it helped you... did it help you?"

Did it help Jennie?

She was unsure, truth be told. It felt like a massive weight had been lifted off her shoulders by telling Chaeyoung, but the thoughts were still there in the back of her mind. Everywhere she looked was a way to escape life forever: the knives stored in the back of her kitchen drawers, the bleach she used to clean the bathroom, even the matchsticks she used to light candles whenever there was a power cut.

Yet then again, she hadn't done it yet. Before Chaeyoung had come those feelings had been constant, always there and egging her on to do it, but instead she had barely managed to repress them and managed to stick to the sizzling relief that came with pushing her cigarette butt against her thigh. And now she only did that on rare occasions where she was particularly stressed.

"I think so."

Chaeyoung smiled, nodding contently, "That makes it all worth it then."

Jennie hummed in agreement and turned away to grab her phone. She clicked it on, nearly dropping it when she realised the time was quarter to one, "Shit. I'm so late for work: Yong-sun's gonna kill me!"

She scurried in search for a brush, the fact she was still dressed in the previous day's clothes barely registering in her mind.

"Calm down, Jennie. I called in a few hours ago to let them know that none of us would be coming to work today."

Jennie slowed, the brush she was holding stopping halfway through her hair, "What did you tell them?"

"I told them I was sick and that you'd caught it too: vague but not vague enough to cause suspicion."

"Oh..." Jennie frowned, a bit unsure on whether she was comfortable or not with the fact Chaeyoung had done that without her knowledge, "Okay. Thanks..?"

She placed her phone back down on the table and pulled her drawers open. Grabbing a clean shirt and jeans, she gave Chaeyoung a pointed look. The younger girl stared back in confusion and Jennie let out a sigh as she gestured to the door, "You a pervert, Park? You wanna stand there and watch me get dressed?"

Chaeyoung's eyes widened and she stepped back with a nervous chuckle, "No! Of course not."

Jennie gave an exaggerated hum like she were contemplating whether Chaeyoung were telling the truth or not. She tried her hardest to fight back a smile at the flustered expression on her roommate's face as her cheeks turned the colour that her hair once was, "Oh! What was that thing you were gonna say?"

"Right─ I almost forgot about that." Chaeyoung nodded, clearly happy with the fact the subject was being changed, "My mom and sister are going to be staying round in December so they can spend Christmas with me. I'm not sure on the exact date just yet, but I'll know soon. Is that alright?"

Jennie shrugged impassively, but inside her heart was hammering against her ribs and her mind was going a million miles an hour. Meeting parents? Maybe Jisoo was right to say they were like a couple.

"Yeah. Not a problem. Now leave so I can get changed."

────

Nighttime had fallen upon Seoul. The streets hummed faintly with the long-gone rush hour traffic memory, calling out for a reason to exist. Chaeyoung sat nestled in her room with a cup of hot chocolate, her rosewood guitar rested on her lap as she tried to finish a song she'd been working on.

Her writing inspiration for stories had fizzled out, but the fire for music roared as strong and everlasting as it had all those years ago when Chaeyoung had first learned how to play the guitar─ if not stronger.

Ever since Sooyoung had re-appeared in her life so had her passion for music and song-writing. In those few days she had finished the lyrics to two songs and the chords that would accompany them, and now she was trying to work out the chorus for her third.

She tweaked the guitar strings, humming the melody that she had engraved in her mind in search for the perfect lyrics that would accompany them. This time she had been going for something more reflecting of herself, something that was from the bottom of her soul.

One of her ways of doing that was singing in Korean, and that was much harder than she expected. Her tongue often slipped on the words and she'd end up wanting to rip her hair out in frustration.

"It's okay to hurt me─ no."

Chaeyoung shook her head angrily, wanting nothing more than to perfect this song. Why was it so hard? The other two songs' lyrics had flowed effortlessly from her mind and onto the paper, sounding nothing less than grammy worthy, but she could not for the life of her think of the chorus.

"Hurt me as much─"

This time it was the ringing of the doorbell that interrupted Chaeyoung's thoughts and she groaned as she placed the guitar on the bed, absolutely furious with whoever had decided to interrupt her brainstorming.

"I got it!" She shouted irritatedly, rushing down the stairs in hopes of getting whoever it was to leave as quickly as possible so she could get back to work. Plus he knew no one else would be bothered to answer the door, anyway.

She threw it open without so much as a second thought, immediate regret running through her when she saw the ghost stood behind the door. There she stood, as stunning as ever─ although she was notably paler. Dark bags lined underneath her eyes and the only words that came to Chaeyoung's mind were: effortlessly beautiful, yet sadly tired.

"Lisa... what are you doing here?"

Lisa sighed, running a hand through her... platinum blonde hair? What had she done to herself?

"I came to fix things, Chaeyoung."

Chaeyoung glanced at the stairs behind her, checking that no one was being nosey and spying on them. She stepped out into the freezing night and shut the front door behind her, staring at Lisa in a daze of confusion. If this were any other time Chaeyoung would've congratulated Lisa for her massive Korean improvement and threw her arms around her in a tight hug─ but it wasn't.

This was the time where Lisa hadn't spoken to her in over a month, not even bothering to call or respond to her messages with even a simple 'i'm okay' or 'don't text me anymore', and strangely Chaeyoung would've preferred the latter to the silent treatment.

"How?" Chaeyoung asked, blinking rapidly, "How can you fix this, Lisa? You haven't spoken a single word to me since the club─ not even one─ but you can go to Nayeon's party and have a fight with Jennie? Not a single text when I sent you dozens just checking up on you. So tell me, how can you fix this?"

Lisa's eyes flickered and her face fell into one of shame, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry won't make everything alright, Lisa." Chaeyoung shook her head, not even caring that her tears had started to tumble nor how weak she must look in that moment. Lisa deserved to know how much she had hurt her─ how much she had ruined her for anyone else. 

"I needed you so much in these past few days, and where were you? Nowhere to be seen, that's where. Why would you do this to me? How could you do this to me?"

Lisa let out a shaky puff of air, her breath condensating right in front of her eyes. The sudden change of hot to cold had so much effect on the state, and that's exactly how Chaeyoung felt in that moment. Lisa's leg jittered and her foot patted audibly against the floor, "I can't tell you why. Can't you just trust me on this?"

Chaeyoung scoffed and shook her head, "How do you expect me to trust you after this? I can never trust you again unless you tell me what the hell was going through your mind when you ghosted me for almost two months."

"Because..."

"'Because' what?"

"ฉันรักคุณ."

Before Chaeyoung had a chance to ask what the hell that meant Lisa had thrown her arms around her neck and pulled her in for a brutal kiss, smashing their lips together roughly. Chaeyoung froze immediately, her body stiffening and going completely rigid.

Lisa's lips felt so warm against her own and she could taste a small trace of alcohol on her breath. Had she been nervous? Had she ever even kissed anyone? The thought made Chaeyoung's mouth open in shock and Lisa immediately snaked her tongue through parted lips.

Not even a moment later and Chaeyoung was leaning in and slowly beginning to kiss back, her eyes fluttered shut as their bodies pressed together. She could feel how hot Lisa was despite the cold around them and Chaeyoung awkwardly slinked her hands around Lisa's waist, pushing the two closer together (if that was even possible).

She poured all of her heart into the kiss as their lips continued to move together, the two content with just being with one another rather than getting undressed. Lisa pushed Chaeyoung back against the front door gently, pinning her against it with absolutely no way to escape.

Chaeyoung's mind was infected with the girl she was kissing: she was her one and only thought in that moment. It was strange how just bumping into Lisa in the street had led to this moment. Lalisa. Lalisa. Lalisa. Lisa. Lisa. Jennie. Je─

Chaeyoung pushed Lisa away in shock, the younger girl stumbling back and almost falling over. Chaeyoung wiped her mouth in a panic, her eyes widening as she looked up at the window of Jennie's room, praying that she hadn't seen any of that.

"I love you."

Her head snapped back to Lisa upon hearing those words and her heart faltered immediately. In that moment she swore she could collapse at any moment but the door she was leaning against supported her.

Chaeyoung shook her head wildly, running her hands through her hair, "I don't feel the same, Lisa. I'm so sorry but I can't do this. I can't be with you. I'm sorry."

She didn't wait for a response before she rushed back inside the house and slammed the door shut behind her, pressing her back against is as she sunk down to the floor. Chaeyoung cradled her knees to her chest, letting out choked sobs.

Yet outside Lisa was another story. She merely smiled sadly and tugged her beanie off her head, turning away from the house and beginning her walk down the street. She had known what the answer would be before she even arrived at the house, and maybe she'd made things worse but atleast now Chaeyoung knew how she felt... even if she loved someone else.

For Chaeyoung, Lisa was okay with being hurt because she only caused her pain during the time they were together. And as long as Chaeyoung would be happy with Jennie, Lisa would be okay without her.

She just hoped Chaeyoung wouldn't forget her.


	24. SNAPSHOTS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry for the wait! thank you for those who have waited and those who have messaged me about this story. i hope this chapter makes up for it, although i know it wont.

Almost a month had passed since Lisa's visit; things had changed.

The house no longer held the warmth that Chaeyoung used to find comfort in, instead being replaced by a bitter chill that sent shivers down her spine, and Jennie was always in her room except for the rare occasions when she ate.

Sooyoung had tried to keep the atmosphere the same and improve relations by putting up dozens of Christmas decorations and a massive tree in the middle of it all but Jennie had payed no mind to her efforts. Infact, she scoffed when she saw it.

Chaeyoung was an optimist: she liked to think the best of anyone and try and figure out their reason for acting badly. Yet now... she didn't think Jennie had a reason. One minute she was hot and the next she was a brutal blizzard ripping at her heart and starving her of love. It hurt more than anything else she'd ever experienced.

Eventually the time for Chaeyoung's mother and sister to fly in came. The Australian ran about the house nervously, adjusting the ornaments on the tree until they were utter perfection and checking every now and then on the gingerbread men she was baking in the oven. Sooyoung was helping, of course─ if she didn't chances were Chaeyoung would burn the whole house down.

_"Does this look alright?"_

_"What should I make for dinner when they come?"_

_"Check on the gingerbread for me please, Sooyoung."_

Sooyoung was growing tired of rushing around and trying to sort everything out for Chaeyoung. She sighed and nursed her temples, wanting nothing more than to grab the bottle of gin that she'd seen Jennie stash in the back cupboard and down it all at once.

Ripping every hair out of her head one by one seemed to be a better idea than following any more of Chaeyoung so commands, so with a growl she glared at her ex-girlfriend, "Everything's fine, Chae!"

Chaeyoung paused in her tracks immediately, her gaze softening as she looked over at Sooyoung. She allowed herself to finally breathe, sighing deeply and running a hand through her hair, "I know." She nodded─ as if contemplating whether she truly did understand or not, "I just want everything to be perfect for tomorrow."

Sooyoung smiled, wrapping a reassuring arm around Chaeyoung, "I get it, one hundred percent. If I'm being honest I'm sort of nervous too. I mean, seeing your ex-girlfriend's family years later isn't something I'd normally do─ and I don't think they ever really liked me."

"Really? As far as I was concerned they adored you."

Chaeyoung remembered all those stiff family dinners, neither of her parents quite used to the idea of their daughter dating a girl, but as soon as Sooyoung would leave her mother would turn to her and whisper secret words of approval. Her father... not so much, but that was to be expected.

Shrugging, Sooyoung busied herself with continuing to wipe down the desk. She didn't quite believe Chaeyoung but she was more concerned with other things regarding the girl. She stopped mid-wipe, unable to face Chaeyoung as she asked, "Hey, um, is everything good with you and Jennie?"

The older girl froze momentarily, casting a cautious glance to the stairs as Jennie was currently residing in her room like a hermit. She simply gave a wordless shrug as her answer and put her mind back to making sure the star atop the Christmas tree was not lopsided.

A frown grew on Sooyoung's face, but instead of pursuing the question she chose it would probably be best to bite her tongue for the moment. She was sure that whatever was going on between the two would be resolved eventually, but for now she was just enjoying the break from Jennie's constant criticism and snarky comments.

Silence, at last.

Although that silence was short-lived when the deafening doorbell rang all throughout the house, and Sooyoung was certain it had never been that loud before. She cast an expectant gaze to Chaeyoung, finding her eyes wide with panic.

Sooyoung smiled softly and took the girl's hand, guiding her to the door. She reached for the handle, realising that her own hands were shaky─ since when was she so nervous and jittery? Nevertheless she pulled the door open, not failing to see how the faces of Chaeyoung's mother and sister fell at once.

"Mrs Park, it's a pleasure to see you again. The same to you Alice." Sooyoung bowed her head politely to the guests, watching as Alice's eyebrows quirked at the sudden formality towards her mother. 

Heat rose to Sooyoung's cheeks as she returned to her full height, suddenly reminded that she was no longer the second tallest person in the room now that Chaeyoung's mother was here. Park Sohee, the forty-eight year old woman that Sooyoung had once considered her own mother, was an overwhelming five foot nine.

Sohee cleared her throat awkwardly, "Sooyoung... I didn't expect to see you here. Mind if we come in, Chaeyoung?"

Chaeyoung nodded dumbly and stepped to the side, watching as Alice and Sohee immediately slipped their shoes off.

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to give me a hug, Chae?" Alice quirked an eyebrow at her sister, opening her arms wide for a hug. The younger girl gave a nervous laugh and quickly returned the embrace, burrowing her face into her sister's shoulder.

Sooyoung watched in silence for a moment before turning to Sohee with a smile plastered on her face, "Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee?"

"Just a glass of water, please."

Nodding curtly, Sooyoung practically ran out of the hall and into the kitchen. Her enthusiasm to leave the situation was not missed by Chaeyoung, but she couldn't really blame her. It was an awkward situation for the both of them to be in, and Chaeyoung could only imagine how much worse it would get when Jennie finally left her room.

_Jennie._

In the shock of seeing her family on her porch, Chaeyoung had nearly forgotten about her friend. She cleared her throat and relinquished Alice from the hug, "Jennie's upstairs in her room. She's not been in the best... _mood _lately, so it'd probably be best to leave her alone. If you go upstairs you'll see my bedroom door is open. You'll be sharing with me til I finally get round to making space in the attic."

_Or even stepping foot in the attic._

Jennie's words of caution about the attic floated through her mind. Chaeyoung had obeyed in the months that she'd been living in the apartment but she figured that now was as good as any to find out what Jennie was really hiding up there. Frankenstein's monster was the most logical guess she'd made so far, but she couldn't be too sure.

In any other situation Chaeyoung would ask Jennie beforehand... but now she didn't really have a choice. To put it simply, she was scared: she didn't know what she could've possibly done to make Jennie so upset that she was getting the silent treatment, and she didn't really want to find out.

(One thing she _did _know, however, was that somehow this hurt more than Jennie's sharp tongue and spiteful words. Chaeyoung would give anything for so much as an insult at this point, and she was petrified knowing that she was putty in Jennie's hands.)

"Mind if I look around before we go up to your room, Chaeyoung?"

Chaeyoung waved a hand nonchalantly and dismissed her mother to go and roam around the apartment. She raised a curious eyebrow to Alice when she noticed that her sister had not followed.

"Are you not going with her?"

Shrugging, Alice dropped her bags in the hallways and craned her neck to look upstairs, "That time of the month?"

"Don't think so, she's just been a bit strange recently."

Alice hummed and Chaeyoung gave a heavy sigh, thankful that her sister had dropped the topic.

"Trouble in paradise?"

Perhaps she had spoken too soon. And what the hell was trouble in paradise supposed to mean?

Chaeyoung's head snapped towards her sister. Her eyes wide with confusion and bewilderment, "What are you on about?" Perhaps her voice came out harsher than she had intended, but her relationship with Jennie was a sore subject─ especially when people spoke about it like they knew what it was like.

Raising her hands in mock surrender, Alice finally gave a reply, "Easy, tiger. I just thought maybe the two of you were having some relationship problems: you don't have to be embarrassed about it."

Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Chaeyoung turned her gaze to the floor and cleared her throat awkwardly. She shuffled and suddenly the flooring was the most interesting thing she'd ever seen in her life, "We're... we're not dating."

Alice's shock was audible, "Shit. My bad. I just thought that, with the way you talked about her and that weird look you get on your face whenever she comes up in conversation, the two of you had something going on."

Chaeyoung grunted self-consciously yet she still could not meet Alice's gaze.

A sudden uncomfortable silence blanketed the house. Chaeyoung's breath fell shallow, not daring to break it in fear of what may come next. Unfortunately, Alice clearly did not feel the same about the situation.

"So..." she trailed, "not even fuck buddies?"

────

Huffing, Chaeyoung narrowed her eyes at her opponent. She had come so far, beating every other battle, only to fall short (quite literally) at the final challenge.

I mean, seriously, how on _earth _does Jennie reach up there?

Chaeyoung gave another attempt on her tip-toes. She wavered, before pushing off the floor in the biggest jump she could muster. Still, her fingers merely grazed the string and she once again tumbled to the ground.

She gave a growl and nursed her leg, knowing that by the time she managed to finally reach the string she would be black and blue. If Jennie, a woman that was practically five foot nothing, could get into the attic then why couldn't she?

It wasn't hard to notice the height difference between the two girls. Chaeyoung knew that in reality it was merely a few inches, but whenever she imagined the two of them together she was _always _towering over Jennie.

There had to be something that could help her.

Chaeyoung's eyes scanned the hallway around her, landing on Jennie's locked bedroom door. The girl had left to go for a much needed grocery shop, and Chaeyoung knew that for a fact.

(_Not because Jennie told her, more because she had caught her lousy attempt at sneaking out)._

Chaeyoung wondered for a moment if their rooms had the same keys. 'Silver for the front door, bronze for the back door, and gold for the bedroom.' She had remembered Jennie's exact words.

Reaching into her back pocket, Chaeyoung pulled out her set of keys and stared at the gold one with hard eyes. She slipped it into the keyhole of Jennie's bedroom door and twisted, her heart pounding. To her surprise the door unlocked.

She had every intent of going in there and seeing if Jennie was hiding some kind of ladder or massive stool to help her get up into the attic─ but for some reason she hesitated. Why? It wasn't like she was going to go snooping around, so why was every part of her screaming at her not to?

If she had been in this situation a few months back she would've went in immediately (hell, she'd done it once already) so what had changed in such a short amount of time? She had disliked Jennie back then, is that what it was? Still, going from enemies to friends wouldn't make her feel so guilty about such a small thing.

Perhaps it was the invasion of privacy.

Jennie already wasn't speaking to her, and Chaeyoung didn't even want to know what would happen if she decided to selfishly break the last fibre of trust the girl had for her. Chaeyoung shook her head and locked the door again, deciding that she would get into the attic some other way.

She was _not _going to make things worse than they already are.

That was how, not even five minutes later, Chaeyoung found herself being lifted up off the ground by her mother. Even Sohee hadn't been able to reach the string, so the two had decided to work together. Lo and behold, it worked!

_Finally _grasping the string, Chaeyoung tugged down the attic panel until she could see the darkness it had once contained. She gave a polite thanks to her mother when she placed her back on the ground.

Sohee, finally tall enough, reached for the ladder that had been revealed and slid it down until the base met the floor. Chaeyoung quickly climbed the ladder, step by step, and found herself immersed in the darkness that was the apartment attic.

She slipped her phone out of her pocket and turned the flashlight on, surprised to see the attic was actually quite tidy. It looked like at one point it had been a bedroom, but after months of neglect the shelves were dusty and there were cobwebs in the corners of the room. It wouldn't be clean enough in time for Sohee and Alice to use, unfortunately, but Chaeyoung still wanted to know what Jennie had been so insistent about her not finding.

Perhaps a bit hypocritical after Chaeyoung had just refused to go into Jennie's room out of respect, but would you not be equally as curious? 

Jennie's initial words of warning about the attic had left a low rumble of suspense in the bottom of her stomach and, although over the months of being in the apartment it had faded slightly, Chaeyoung knew that it would not be vanquished until her curiosity was satiated.

_Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back._

Chaeyoung looked around and shone her flashlight in an attempt to find anything that would quell her hunger for knowledge. It was relatively bare, only occupied by a few shelves and some other things that looked like they belonged in a bedroom.

Finally Chaeyoung's eyes landed on a heap of boxes shoved in the far corner of the attic. She grinned as she stalked her way over to them like a lioness towards her unsuspecting prey. She would gobble this newfound information whole, and only then would she be able to go back down.

Ignoring the dust, Chaeyoung fell to her knees infront of the boxes. She carefully lifted one from the pile and began rummaging through it, finding a few old bank statements made out in Jennie's name. _Boring. _She was looking for something real, something that might help her understand the madness that was Jennie Kim, not some stupid numbers.

She moved that box to the side, still treating it as though it were a priceless artifact despite the fact she had no care for what was inside. Chaeyoung moved onto the next box, her eyes lighting up when she found a few certificates. _Music awards. _Interesting. She also found a few video tapes tucked in the corner of the box, all labelled with dates and concert halls.

So, Jennie wasn't just a _good _musician. She was supposedly an amazing one.

Chaeyoung briefly considered taking them away to watch them, but she figured that would be too much of an invasion of privacy... so she only took one. _But can you blame her?! _

Placing that box to the side, Chaeyoung looked into another. Her eyes went wide with surprise at the contents. Pictures. A graduation gown and gap. Old essays and homework. She'd hit the jackpot.

She decided to examine the graduation clothes first, laughing when she noticed how small it was. Apparently Jennie decided to decorate the cap with sequins in the letter 'J', and Chaeyoung couldn't stifle her smile for the life of her.

It was just so... _Jennie._

Looking in this box felt like Chaeyoung was living Jennie's life. As she carefully flicked through the pictures she could swear she was feeling exactly what Jennie was in each frame.

First was a group picture of Irene, Seulgi, Sooyoung and Jennie. They all looked young, or atleast younger than they are now, but most notably they all looked _happy_. There was no animosity between Jennie and Sooyoung, and Chaeyoung could only guess that this is where the two had met eachother and started dating.

She placed that photo carefully back in the box and looked at the next one. A rather shy looking Jennie was stood infront of the university campus, a blush on her face as whoever took the picture was clearly embarrassing her. _Parents? _Chaeyoung considered. She wondered if Jennie's mom was pretty: she had to be to have a daughter as gorgeous as Jennie.

A small bit of sadness tugged at Chaeyoung's heart as she looked at the picture, realising that this was probably Jennie's first day. This was exactly how Chaeyoung had imagined her own, if only she'd gone to university.

She dropped the photo back in the box, this time less carefully than the last, and turned her gaze back to the pictures.

Her eyes softened at the picture, and a sad frown formed on her face. It was a picture of Seulgi and Jennie downing shots at (what Chaeyoung assumed) was the campus bar. Not far away was a smiling Sooyoung and an impassive Joohyun─ but Chaeyoung still noticed the fondness in her eyes as she looked at Seulgi.

That's why it came as such a shock when she saw Jisoo only a few metres away from the group, gazing at them with something Chaeyoung could only describe as longing. For what, Chaeyoung wasn't quite sure, but one thing she was sure of was that she had seen enough.

These pictures were more personal than Chaeyoung had expected, but she was atleast thankful that she had gained some useful knowledge on Jennie's life.

As she stood up to leave, Chaeyoung moved the boxes back to their original positions. She turned back to where the ladder was and began her descent back into the hallway, but then something caught her eye.

Chaeyoung stepped back into the attic and looked in the direction of where the slight orange was coming from. She noticed a crack of light from behind some rustic-looking blinds. Chaeyoung raised them, not expecting to find much, but instead she found a window.

Only this one led to the roof.

Raising her hand hesitantly, Chaeyoung reached out to the handle and pushed it down. It came as a shock when the window was unlocked, and Chaeyoung quickly shut it once again; she didn't have much time til Jennie was back.

She would come back later to investigate, but for now she needed to hide the evidence of her escapades.

Chaeyoung stepped down the ladder quicker than what must've been safe as she called for her mother. Sohee came rushing, assuming something major was up with the rate her daughter had been screaming, only to give Chaeyoung an unimpressed look when she discovered her daughter just needed help.

After packing the ladder away and shutting the attic back off, Chaeyoung retreated to her room. She was still clutching the old video tape close to her chest when her eyes fell on the TV she had never bothered to use (she saw no point─ it was practically a fossil).

_Time to see what the real Jennie Kim is like._


	25. STOLEN KISSES, STOLEN HEARTS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> enjoy ;)

Chaeyoung had waited until her mother and sister were both out to watch the tape: she couldn't risk them walking in and asking what she was doing. How would she even answer that without sounding like a complete stalker?

_"Yeah, I'm just watching this old tape of Jennie that I found in the attic whilst going through her belongings. No big deal."_

There was no reply that wouldn't make her sound like a creep.

Sohee and Alice had went out into the town to see the sights South Korea had to offer. It had been a while since Sohee and been back to her home country and she wanted to show Alice the roots of their culture. They had asked Chaeyoung if she wanted to come, of course, but she had just come up with some lame excuse about cramps.

The only time period weren't a pain are when they're getting her out of shit she doesn't want to do, and she's not even on her period right now.

Chaeyoung shut and locked her bedroom door behind her before walking over to the old TV, thankful that Jennie didn't seem to care enough to keep the room up to modern standards. After alot of struggling and failed attempts she managed to turn the television on and put the tape in the player.

She picked up the brick-like remote, momentarily wondering if the wall would dent if she threw it at it, and changed the source to the tape player. Jennie's face appeared on the screen after a second or so, albeit she definitely looked younger.

This Jennie was more like the Jennie in the pictures. With pale, large cheeks and much kinder eyes, she was smiling _genuinely _at the camera. Chaeyoung had never seen Jennie that happy in her life. What had gone wrong? 

Looking at the television screen and comparing the girl to the Jennie she knew today was like comparing two completely different people. One a joyous, innocent girl with a heart seemingly so full of love it was bursting from the seams, and the other a cold shell of a woman, her eyes hard after years of hardships.

Chaeyoung worried her bottom lip between her teeth and pressed the play button. After a few glitches the video began to play and Chaeyoung found herself enthralled by the Jennie on the screen. It was customary at competitions like these for the competitors to introduce themselves so the judges could help get to know them better as people.

The girl on the screen grinned as she spoke, her smile so wide that it almost seemed painful but looked so genuine, "Hi! I'm Kim Jennie and I'm seventeen years old. I was born in South Korea but I spent some of my childhood in New Zealand before coming back. I like spending time with my friends Sam and Eunwoo, but my favourite thing to do is play the guitar. I've been playing for as long as I can remember, so I hope it shows when I perform!"

The audio crackled slightly as the girl spoke yet Chaeyoung payed it no mind. To her, every word that the girl was speaking was crystal clear.

The introduction stage faded to reveal Jennie sat in a large concert hall, rows of people all waiting for her to begin playing. 

Strangely enough, she wasn't anxious... or if she was then she was doing a damn good job of hiding it. Chaeyoung thought back to her own performances infront of crowds, remembering how her hands jittered nervously and her foot tapped at a rapid pace. More often than not it would be one of the only things that lost her marks, and Chaeyoung cursed herself for being so nervous all the time.

She turned her attention back to Jennie when the girl began to play. The instrument was hard to hear with all the static and just the bad audio quality in general, but Chaeyoung could tell she was good. And when Jennie opened her mouth to sing, Chaeyoung _knew _ that she was phenomenal.

Jennie was a brilliant musician. Her fingers danced quickly along the guitar and she rarely ever took her eyes off the audience, captivating the crowd, the judges, and Chaeyoung herself. It seemed that, upon that stage, was Jennie's natural habitat.

She thrived under the whispered praise in the audience and the impressed looks the judges gave her before scribbling down notes.

Jennie was naturally talented, that much was obvious. The way her fingers glided so elegantly was not something that could simply be learned, no matter how much effort you put into practice: it was something that only those truly _born _to create music could do. It was in her soul, so why had she stopped?

Why was Jennie working at some second-rate cafe when she could be out there living the dream. Men and women alike would throw themselves at her and she could have more money than Chaeyoung could even fathom, so why hadn't Jennie taken that opportunity when she clearly had the talent?

Chaeyoung paused her thoughts. She was spiraling again.

The video petered to an end without Chaeyoung even noticing it, and the player ejected the tape slowly. Chaeyoung gave a sigh and scooped it up off the floor; she would have to return it before Jennie noticed.

She glanced at the time, realising it was late. A feeling of worry blossomed in her stomach for her mother and Alice. The streets were dangerous for everyone at such a late hour, nevermind two women that were most likely slightly intoxicated.

Chaeyoung grabbed her phone to message her sister, but a glance showed her that Alice had already messaged her ten minutes ago telling her they were staying at some hotel. She breathed a sigh of relief and fell back on her bed. Her eyes instinctively landed on her guitar.

Something about the way the video of Jennie made her feel had once again lit the fire in her heart. Listening to Jennie play had given Chaeyoung an inexplicable feeling of happiness. She couldn't even put into the words the affect her melodious voice and skilled fingers had on her.

The raw emotion a simple tape had created in her had somehow given Chaeyoung her own motivation to try and replicate it. She didn't want to ever get rid of this feeling, but she knew that it would fade if she did not grasp at it soon.

This was her shot at happiness.

Chaeyoung thought back to the window she had found in the attic and how beautiful the horizon had looked. Perhaps she could return the tape and sit up there to play the guitar whilst watching the moon. Perhaps that would replicate the warmth in her soul and the butterflies in her stomach.

Tucking her guitar under her arm, Chaeyoung clumsily unlocked the door and pulled it open. Her heart almost fell out of her body when she spotted the attic ladder and the panel _clearly _open. Had she not remembered to pack it away?

She glanced nervously at Jennie's door, finding it closed and (presumably) locked. Her heart hammered like a drum in her ears, making it hard to hear anything other than her nerves and the possibilities of what could go wrong.

Chaeyoung climbed the ladder shakily and placed her guitar in the attic before hoisting her body through. She carefully returned the tape to where she had found it and glanced over to the window, realising she had forgotten to shut the blinds after opening it.

Too late now, she had clearly forgotten the ladder aswell.

Adjusting the weight of her guitar under her arm, Chaeyoung twisted the window handle down and pulled it open. The crisp cold December air hit her like a bucket of ice water, shocking her senses completely. She fumbled with the guitar and, after some trouble, stepped out onto the roof.

The roof was dull and flat, a slab of concrete lined with a short wall of even _more _boring concrete to stop any accidental falls. A few potted plants were placed meticulously around the roof, making Chaeyoung raise an eyebrow.

The strong scent of smoke interrupted her from her thoughts, suddenly making her painfully aware that she was not alone.

She already knew who was waiting for her if she turned her head, and whilst part of her was happy just to be in her presence after so long, another part of her was terrified. Now Jennie would know she had disobeyed her orders and she'd hate her even more.

Rigidly, Chaeyoung dared to turn to where Jennie was sat. She was facing the window─ _Chaeyoung blushed when she realised Jennie must've seen her trip and stumble atleast three times_─ and her back was pressed against the ugly slab of grey lining the roof.

A lit cigarette was held between Jennie's fingers and the older girl regarded Chaeyoung with a strange look. Her hair was slightly ruffled, like a bird's feathers after they get wet, and she was dressed in all black.

With the exception of a cute pair of slippers.

Usually the thought would've warmed Chaeyoung's heart, but she was too frozen in fear to do anything but stare dumbly. Jennie watched her as she continued to nurse the cigarette between her fingers, the ash that fell from the ends quickly sweeped away by the Winter breeze.

"Are you going to join me?"

Chaeyoung couldn't hide her surprise at the offer, but she did her best to hide the sudden giddiness it caused within her. She advanced towards Jennie slowly, wanting to savour the way Jennie's eyes raked over her body and the small smirk that played on her lips. Chaeyoung felt another surge, of what she didn't know, at the elder girl's actions.

She took a seat close to Jennie and gently placed her guitar on her legs, glancing at Jennie from the corner of her eye. She seemed... different. She wasn't the Jennie from the video with the cute gummy smile and the puffy cheeks, nor was she the Jennie with the steel exterior and cold heart.

She was something completely foreign, like the Jennie Chaeyoung knew had been replaced by a stranger. Only she wasn't a stranger, she was still Jennie. Perhaps it was Chaeyoung herself that had changed.

The thought frightened her more than she thought possible.

"So."

"So?" Jennie looked over to Chaeyoung briefly, catching the younger girl staring at her. Usually she would tease her or make some sly remark, but now didn't seem like the time. Not when there was so much tension and so many words unspoken.

Things had changed forever, that much was obvious. For some reason unbeknownst to Chaeyoung, they had changed. Or maybe it was just her, she wasn't sure yet. She still wasn't sure of a lot of things, but she was certain that she was here with Jennie in this moment and needed to say something.

She gave a soft sigh and craned her neck to turn her full attention to Jennie, meeting the girl's eyes. The coffee brown eyes were so familiar, but what she saw in them was not. Instead of seeing the quiet anger that usually occupied Jennie's soul, she saw a mellow calm.

"I'm sorry." 

Chaeyoung's voice was quiet, timid like a mouse, yet her gaze was strong. This time she did not avert her eyes or flush bright red, she simply stood her ground.

She wasn't shocked to see Jennie's eyebrow quirk up slightly (she had become familiar with Jennie's mannerisms at this point, but she didn't like to think of when or why, or even _how_). She also wasn't shocked when Jennie's response was a simple, "For what?"

For what?

Chaeyoung had a lot to be sorry for. First of all she had invaded Jennie's privacy by practically breaking into her room, but luckily her conscience had come back from the grave at the last minute to stop her. Secondly she had disobeyed Jennie by stepping foot in the attic. Thirdly she had invaded her box of memories and treasured moments, even going as far as to steal a tape just so she could understand the enigma that was Jennie Kim.

But what Chaeyoung was _truly _sorry for, she did not know.

She had stopped herself from entering Jennie's room, which was questionable to even consider it but in the end she had triumphed against her immoral thoughts. The attic thing was bound to happen anyway; telling someone _not _to do something just makes them want to do it even more. It's human nature. The memory box she couldn't justify other than a need to satiate her curiosity, so she admitted her fault in that. But what did she actually _need _to apologise for?

She pondered for a moment, her mind coming full circle as she realised why she had even gone up to the attic anyway. She had _missed _Jennie because Jennie had been ignoring her, and for what she did not know.

"I'm not sure."

Jennie gave a light snort of laughter and extinguished the cigarette against the cold, damp floor. She reached into her pocket and pulled out another one, offering it to Chaeyoung. The younger girl shook her head and gestured her guitar, so Jennie simply shrugged and lit her own cigarette.

"You're gonna get lung cancer if you keep smoking like a chimney, Jen."

The older girl spared her counterpart a peculiar glance before looking back to the cigarette resting between her fingers. She simply shrugged, "Everyone dies eventually. I'd rather die doing something I enjoy than be seventy and shitting into a bag."

Chaeyoung rolled her eyes, "Seriously, Jennie. You're not gonna enjoy it when you have to breathe through a hole in your neck. You need to cut down on these, they're not worth the money."

Jennie's eyes flickered down to the cigarette in her fingers, and then back to Chaeyoung and the pleading look in her eyes. She huffed, unable to believe she was about to do this, and stubbed the wasted cigarette on the ground before topping it backwards and off the roof.

A small smile appeared on Chaeyoung's face at Jennie's actions, and even the older girl had to fight of her own grin. She had to admit that it felt nice to have someone who cared enough to tell her to stop... and to also care enough about that person to even waste a single cigarette.

It wasn't like Chaeyoung had just ended Jennie's addiction, yet she was still pleased with herself for the small victory. One cigarette was a start, and maybe cutting her down by even that could make a difference.

The two fell into a comfortable silence, letting the peaceful ambience of the city around them do the speaking. It was in the early am, Chaeyoung knew that much. The only lights on where the ones lining the street, and the low buzz they gave off relaxed the two women.

Chaeyoung drummed her fingers lightly against the wood of her guitar. She gave a content sky and tilted her neck up to face the stars in the sky and the moonlight streaming across Seoul like it was on a mission.

It was chilly out, probably only a couple degrees, but Chaeyoung didn't mind and Jennie didn't seem to either. She somehow found herself shuffling slightly closer to Jennie, seeking the girl's heat and protection.

She appreciated it when Jennie didn't make a comment.

Something really _had _changed in the month of being given the cold shoulder. Their entire atmosphere was... off. Before now there was always a small trace of tension in the air, even when they were friends, but this was some kind of entirely new feeling.

"I wondered how long it would take you to go in the attic."

Now _that _was something Chaeyoung had not expected. She turned to Jennie with furrowed brows, wordlessly begging her to expand. Jennie saw her look and gave a tight-lipped smile, but the slight sigh did not go unnoticed.

"When I first moved in here, Jisoo and I hadn't talked since the incident which made us dislike eachother so much. I didn't even know she was the landlady─ you'd be surprised how many Kim Jisoos there are in this area. She told me not to go in the attic at all, and I went in the attic straight after she left. Turns out there was nothing in there." Jennie shrugged.

"So..." Chaeyoung paused, trying to find the right words, "it was like a test?"

Jennie nodded slightly, her fingers instinctively reaching for a cigarette. She stilled her hand and let out a groan of frustration, "I guess it was to see if I would ever really listen to her or even like her again. She got her answer." Jennie ran a finger through her ruffled hair and turned her attention back to her roommate, "So my question is, what made you go in the attic?"

When Jennie had first told her not to go in the attic, Chaeyoung had been scared shitless thinking Jennie had created some kind of monster in there. Was it that curiosity that led her to going up?

Or perhaps it was just something she had to do because she wanted to find extra room for Sohee and Alice to sleep. That was her reasoning at the time but, looking back on it, it seems like there was a deeper reason.

She had snooped. She had snooped because she wanted to know more about Jennie, to find out what the girl thought, why the girl thought, and how the girl thought. She wanted to know absolutely everything.

But she couldn't say all of that.

"I was just wondering what you were keeping up there that meant I couldn't go up."

Jennie seemed unconvinced but did not respond other than a soft grunt, her eyes falling to the guitar resting on Chaeyoung's lap. The younger girl caught where her roommate's eyes had wandered and she gave a nervous grimace.

She looked back up to Jennie's face, seeing her eyes still on the guitar. Chaeyoung looked back down at her lap, trying to think of a way to get out of the situation. She could always just say she needed a pee, or ─if she really _has _to─ say she just started her period.

Her eyes landed back on Jennie's face, expecting to see her still looking at the guitar, but instead they were staring directly into Chaeyoung's soul. The younger girl's face blanked.

"Play for me."

And there it was. The words Chaeyoung dreaded most.

Chaeyoung used to play for people all the time. She played in restaurants, cafes, and on the street. People came in crowds to watch her play, flipping coins or tucking notes into her guitar case, and for a few years the world had fooled Chaeyoung into thinking she was actually talented.

Of course the truth had come out when she had auditioned in an attempt to get into college. That day her dreams had been shot down alongside the already dwindling amount of self confidence she had at the time.

"I don't know, Jennie. I don't really play for people anymore."

She gave a dejected sigh and stared at the guitar strings, plucking them gently with her fingers. The strings hummed under her movements and Chaeyoung could feel Jennie watching her, perhaps examining her technique.

"C'mon, you can't be any worse than me."

Chaeyoung gave a laugh, knowing that Jennie couldn't be more wrong. It felt strange to know something that might be so important to Jennie's past without her knowing: she didn't like the feeling.

"I watched your tape."

"What kind of tape?"

Scoffing, Chaeyoung hit Jennie playfully on the shoulder, "The one of you playing the guitar and singing. You're really good, like professional level good. Why didn't you pursue a career in singing?"

"Not my kind of industry." Jennie said simply, turning her gaze away from the guitar and back to Chaeyoung's face, "Too toxic. Most companies out there are just corrupt and money-hungry soul-suckers looking to trick you into signing your life away─ it's sorta hard to tell the difference between the good and the bad."

The younger girl hummed in agreement, "If I... if I sing you a song will you start playing the guitar again?"

Jennie's mouth parted slightly with surprise, obviously not expecting Chaeyoung to proposition her like that. She deliberated for a moment, wondering what it would be like if she agreed. She had sold her guitar to get enough money for headshots, and that had been a dead-end, but she had to admit that she missed the feeling the weight of her guitar upon her lap, "Deal."

Chaeyoung smiled slightly and readjusted her position on the floor, lifting up her guitar and steadying it, "I don't really have a song prepared, so do you mind if I just sing one I wrote a while ago?"

"That's fine. You could play me the ABC's and I'd still listen to every second of it."

This time a light blush dusted Chaeyoung's cheek as she nodded awkwardly, clearing her throat and positioning her fingers. As she began to play the first notes she managed to catch Jennie's eyes on her and only her, and surprisingly not on the guitar. Perhaps she wasn't doing this to scrutinise her, and she was actually doing it because she wanted to hear Chaeyoung play.

The thought brought a tiny smile to Chaeyoung's face as she began to sing, "So easily, with harsh words, you put scars in my heart─" She lifted her eyes to meet Jennie's for a moment, seeing the girl staring at her with something she didn't quite in her eyes.

It was warm, and the closest thing Chaeyoung could compare it to was a peculiar mix of pride and adoration. Chaeyoung really hoped Jennie adored her as much as Chaeyoung adored Jennie.

"Without even saying sorry, again, I'm comforting myself. Always nervous if you're gonna leave me, I just want you to stay," Her heart tugged as she continued with the lyrics, "In your expressionless face that's getting more and more dull, I whisper to the mirror, let's slowly let this go. You take me for granted, but that's you. But still, stay stay stay with me."

As she continued she somehow found herself relating the lyrics to her current situation. She had written this song originally after she and Sooyoung had their first big fight, just to make herself feel a little better, but it was if these lyrics were made to describe the constant push and pull between Jennie and Chaeyoung.

She sang the next verse, but still her mind drifted back to Jennie, especially at the last line, "I hate you so much but I love you." She found herself fighting back tears for some reason, not knowing why a song she herself had written was doing this to her.

Perhaps it was because it was finding a new meaning.

"Before the dark night traps me in, don't leave me, do you still love me? If you feel the same, don't leave today." She dared to look up from her guitar, allowing her eyes to meet Jennie's momentarily, "Don't ask why it has to be you. Just stay with me."

They were hot one minute and cold the next, but right now Chaeyoung and Jennie were in some sort of unchartered territory. Chaeyoung didn't know if it was just her feeling this way, but she didn't like the unknown. What was happening to her?

"It goes a little something like lalalalalala lalalalalala lalalalalala, lalalalalala lalalalalala lalalalalalaI. Don't expect a lot right now, just stay with me."

Chaeyoung ducked her head in shame, confused as to why she was acting this way. She hadn't been like this since her teenage years, constantly giddy with excitement over the tiniest things. The familiar warm pit began to form in her stomach, the same as when she was watching Jennie play on the television.

It somehow brought a smile to her face in midst of all the confusing feelings and peculiar actions, but that was when it happened.

As Chaeyoung sung the final verse Jennie began to join in. Her voice was heavenly and smooth like her caramel eyes. She sounded like a cozy house in the countryside and sex by the fireplace, and as beautiful as it was to Chaeyoung it was also tragic.

"I don't expect a lot right now, just stay with me."

Chaeyoung's voice had died down and she had let Jennie finish the final lines, too caught up in her own revelation to pay attention. Why did she have to watch that tape? If she didn't then she wouldn't have a swarm of butterflies messing with her stomach, and her heart would still belong to her.

She was doomed from the second she stepped onto the roof, because the moment Jennie opened her mouth to join in Chaeyoung had realised she was in **love**, and she thought that maybe she'd been in love from the moment she saved Jennie in that club, and falling since she first laid eyes on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 25 chapters all for this. this is... incredibly slowburn.
> 
> comments and kudos are appreciated <3


	26. LISA

It all made so much sense now.

Chaeyoung lay sprawled out on her bed, exhausted after a long day of working at Honey Pots. She hadn't actually been doing much work, too occupied by her thoughts of what on earth she was going to do about Jennie, but her thinking had drained her emotionally and physically.

She stared blankly at the ceiling. How hadn't she noticed the signs before?

Chaeyoung thought she had been in love before, but this feeling with Jennie was so similar yet so different. Her love for Sooyoung had been roaring and soul-consuming whereas this love for Jennie was quiet and low, like a pot of water left to simmer on the stove. This love was dangerous and uncertain, and Chaeyoung was scared of it.

People in love did crazy things.

All of her past actions suddenly didn't seem so innocent and unmotivated. The pit that had formed in her stomach when she saw Jongin with Jennie wasn't as unimportant as it had once seemed: it was her _jealousy_. And the constant thoughts of Jennie in the back of her mind, no matter what she was doing. Even when she had kissed Lisa all of her thoughts had gone back to Jennie.

The thought of Lisa was the one that broke her musings, dreadfully reminding Chaeyoung of the mess that the kiss had caused. Chaeyoung had thought that Lisa was the one that needed to do the apologising initially, but now she realised that this was _her _fault. She had led Lisa on with innuendos and going along with the flirting, only to brutally stomp on the girl's heart when she finally grew the courage to say how she truly felt.

Chaeyoung had toyed with her heart and given Lisa hope that maybe they could be together despite the fact that it was impossible. She had to apologise, but how she didn't know. She had no clue where Lisa was staying yet it felt too important to just do it over text.

_hey. i know you probably dont want to speak to me right now, or ever, but i think we should talk about this. if you could give me your address or tell me somewhere we can meet, i can be there at five._

**sent 15:27**

She placed her phone down, but immediately picked it back up when it vibrated.

**lisa 💖:**

_seoul grand park._

**sent 15:28**

Chaeyoung smiled at the message and decided it would be best to take a shower first. She wanted to show Lisa she had genuine remorse, and showing up looking like a homeless person wouldn't exactly convey that message.

She walked into the small bathroom attached to the bedroom and shut the door behind her, making sure to lock it incase her mother or sister decided to come in. She shrugged her clothes off and dumped them in the washing basket as she turned the shower on.

The slightly cold water was just what she needed to get her thoughts in order. For now she would ignore the obviously feelings she had for Jennie and focus on fixing her friendship with Lisa, but also make it crystal clear to her that they would never be an item.

She'd strung Lisa along for too long, and now she had to make it clear that this is where that ended. She wouln't blame Lisa if she chose not to accept her apology, but Chaeyoung sincerely prayed that they could be friends once again.

Turning the shower off, Chaeyoung stepped out onto the cold bathroom floor and slipped a robe on. Usually she'd leave her hair to air dry but she was tight for time and would have to use a hair dryer.

By the time her hair was dry and she was ready, she only had twenty minutes to get to the park. It wasn't exactly a long walk but it wasn't a short one either, and then there was the matter of actually managing to find Lisa in a crowd of people.

She ran out the house as fast as humanely possible and began her journey to the park, ducking and swering past oncoming people. She cursed Seoul for being so busy all the time, wishing for once that she lived somewhere quiet and more serene.

When Chaeyoung found herself at the park entrance Lisa was nowhere to be seen, so she checked her phone and walked into the herd of tourists and families on weekly outings. She cast a fleeting glance at the arched rose bush that led to the centre of the park, suddenly reminded of how much fun she had with Lisa in this place even though they'd only just met.

They had meshed so well in such a little amount of time, Chaeyoung's bubbly personality going well with Lisa's shy yet dorky self, and Chaeyoung had thrown that away the second she let Lisa think she even had a chance. She knew it wasn't completely her fault that Lisa had grown feelings for her, but she also knew that she had unknowingly nurtured their feelings until they grew into full blown love.

And by then it was too late to say anything.

Chaeyoung paused infront of the familiar water fountain. At first she didn't notice Lisa stood infront of it, but a quick double-look surprised Chaeyoung. Her hair was no longer platinum blonde, instead dyed a light blue shade. She looked beautiful.

Truth be told Chaeyoung was surprised she had even turned up. If she was in Lisa's situation she would've... infact she didn't even know what she would do. Chaeyoung gave Lisa a small smile and quickly walked over to her, the tension palpable and suffocating.

"Hi."

It was a surprise to Chaeyoung when Lisa was the first one to speak. The Australian's smile grew slightly bigger, "Hi. Thanks for actually coming, it means alot to me."

Lisa shrugged as if it were nothing. Always so selfless, rarely ever selfish.

"It's okay. I guess I have some explaining to do too." Sighing, Lisa took a seat on the edge of the water fountain. She fiddled nervously with the camera in her hand before looking back up to Chaeyoung, "I'm sorry for what I did, for real. I shouldn't have ignored you after the club and I shouldn't have sprung my feelings on you all of a sudden; it was a shitty move."

Chaeyoung paused in surprise, gawking for two different reasons.

"Lisa, your Korean is amazing."

The younger girl gave a sheepish look, "Yeah. After the club I sorta realised things had changed and signed up for classes. I still struggle sometimes but I can speak and understand most things. Being alone sorta motivated me to do stuff, I guess."

She hadn't meant it to come out as self-deprecating but Chaeyoung could tell that she wasn't happy with the way things had turned out.

"Lisa, I didn't come here to get an apology; I came to _apologise_."

Brown eyes widened in shock and Chaeyoung wondered if it was really that much of a surprise to Lisa that she wanted to apologise. She toyed with her bottom lip between her teeth and gave a gentle breath of relief at the sudden weight off her shoulders, "I was in the wrong this whole time and I'm sorry it took me so long to realise it. I should've never led you on when there wasn't a chance of us being together, and I shouldn't have been so harsh when you tried to apologise. This is on me aswell, not just you."

"I..." Lisa's voice came out as hoarse and her throat suddenly felt tight, making it impossibly hard to speak. She struggled for a moment to collect herself as she tried to blink away the tears forming in her eyes, "You have no idea how you're making me feel right now."

Chaeyoung's head tilted with worry.

"Good? Bad?"

Lisa nodded rapidly and cleared her throat, "Good. Better than I've felt in a long time, actually."

Chaeyoung let out a light laugh as her nerves immediately dissipated. She was grateful that Lisa had turned up but her heart was bursting at the fact that she seemed to have forgiven her (and hopefully even moved on a bit).

"So, tell me about her."

"About who?"

"Jennie, duh. How did you fall in love, why did you fall in love, and all of that: I wanna know the whole shebang." 

Turning to Lisa with a flustered look on her face, Chaeyoung gave a heavy sigh and allowed her shoulders to slump, "You knew, huh? You knew before I did. Is that why you told me you loved me when you did?"

"I'll admit I was scared of losing you forever, and it was a..." Lisa frowned as she momentarily forgot the word, "a... final! It was a final attempt to see if there were any romantic feelings for me. Are you telling me you didn't know?"

Chaeyoung shook her head, "I had no clue, Lis. I just thought I wanted to be her friend or some shit─ I only figured out what I actually wanted the other night. Guess the whole stereotype about useless lesbians is true, huh?"

Lisa gave a laugh, the sound bubbling from her stomach easily. The atmosphere was no longer tense, instead warm and joyous. It had been such a burden on the two of them, Chaeyoung thinking Lisa hated her and Lisa thinking the same about Chaeyoung, but now their worries were quelled it was like nothing had ever changed.

It wasn't forced and Chaeyoung no longer felt like she was walking on ice with the other girl.

"Wanna get ice cream?" Chaeyoung suggested, "Just for memories' sake, y'know."

Lisa stared blankly at her friend, "Chaeyoung, you do realise its the middle of winter... right?"

Chaeyoung facepalmed and nodded, "Right. I don't know how I could forget when it's fucking freezing out here: even the water fountain has turned to ice. Do you wanna come back to my place?"

"Are you sure Jennie won't mind?"

Right. Jennie.

Somehow Chaeyoung had almost forgotten the fact that Lisa and Jennie had gotten into an argument a few months back. It couldn't be that bad, right? She didn't know the specifics or exactly what had gone down but she _highly _doubted it would mean that they couldn't even be in the same house as one another.

She paused for a moment, "How bad was the fight?"

"We said some nasty stuff, Rosie."

Annoyance quickly seeped into Chaeyoung. Not at Lisa or Jennie, but rather at herself. She knew that she must've been at the centre of the argument─ and that wasn't just a narcissistic thought. What else was there to argue about other than her?

"Alright. You can still come over but I'll have to speak to Jennie for a couple minutes. You can just wait in my room, if you want. Just be careful though: my parents are there."

────

"Jen, can I speak to you?"

Chaeyoung was stood at the entrance to the kitchen, watching curiously as Jennie struggled to measure the correct amount of flour. It was amusing, truth be told, to see Jennie get so mad at a bag of flour that it looked like she was about to throw it at a wall.

The older girl, still not pulling her eyes away from the scales, responded, "Of course."

Since their conversation on the roof a few nights ago things had smoothed over. They were back on speaking times, like nothing had ever happened, but Chaeyoung was still curious as to what had caused their rift in the first place. She had considered asking when they were on the roof but she had enough trouble with realising her feelings and didn't want to risk ruining things again.

"Lisa's here."

"I had noticed."

"Are you okay with that?"

Jennie gave a silent shrug but the way her jaw clenched was a clear indication as to how she felt.

Disappointed, Chaeyoung's whole body deflated at Jennie's 'response'. She knew that the fight must've been nasty to make both Jennie and Lisa feel like this but she thought that the older girl might be mature enough to not harbour so much resentment.

Lisa had managed it, so why couldn't Jennie?

"Look, I'm not asking you to be best friends. I just want you to be civil to her and respect her. I don't know what went down at that party and I don't hold it against either of you, but I'm trying to get my friend back and keep my relationship with you."

A sigh escape Jennie as she placed the bag of flour back on the worktop. She turned to Chaeyoung with a defeated look in her eyes, "Do you like her?"

Barely holding back a laugh, Chaeyoung shook her head. _Oh, the irony. _She briefly wondered for a moment if Jennie _knew _the affect she had on her from one simple look.

"No, why?"

Jennie frowned and turned back to the worktop, beginning to measure the flour out again, "Just a question."

_Is she jealous?_

Chaeyoung quickly cleared her mind of the thought, knowing that it was probably just wishful thinking. If Jennie was jealous then she would make it clear: that's the type of personality she is. She's not someone who just sits back and observes from the sidelines─ she's bold. Demanding.

Why is that so attractive to Chaeyoung? She doesn't know. 

_I'm not even a bottom._

Chaeyoung stifled a laugh at the thought and merely gave Jennie a nod before practically running back upstairs. In her bedroom she found Lisa sat on the floor holding a lyric sheet of Chaeyoung's.

If it were anyone else Chaeyoung would've screamed and yelled until her throat was dry and her voice was croaky, but this was Lisa. Chaeyoung trusted her. She glanced at the sheet, quickly realising it was the song she'd been working on the other night. It was unfinished so far, but it was already one of Chaeyoung's favourites.

"Is it good?"

Lisa visibly jolted out of shock, clearly not having seen Chaeyoung stood there. She looked up and gave a wide smile, "It's amazing. One of the most meaningful songs I've ever read; I can only imagine how it sounds."

She knew what that meant.

Chaeyoung knew that Lisa's words were a poorly disguised suggestion of having her play it for her. She shook her head gently.

"Uh... not right now. I'm actually saving it for someone." Her voice was bashful, as if she were embarrassed for it wanting to be a special song. She was embarrassed, truth be told. It wasn't hard to figure out who it was for.

Humming, Lisa pulled her eyes away from the sheets of paper and looked up at Chaeyoung, "You really like her, huh?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Well, let me see." Lisa cleared her throat dramatically, " 'Why is it so hard for you? To properly see me trying? I get shocked to see, how much I can hurt because of you. My days are a struggle, even my dreams are painful─' "

"Okay, okay, that's enough."

Lisa simply smirked and placed the papers back on the table where she'd found them, "I didn't know you were so good with song-writing; I thought you were just a fiction author."

"The two can go hand in hand if you have a way with rhymes."

A comfortable silence fell on the room as Lisa continued to look around. In reality there wasn't much to see but she seemed curious and Chaeyoung didn't want to put her off.

"Hey, Chaeyoung. Can I borrow you straightners─"

And then in came Alice, of course. She hadn't seen Lisa come in, and Chaeyoung had wanted to keep it that way. She could imagine all the teasing and embarrassing comments her sister would make and she had wanted to save Lisa _and _herself from that.

Alice gave a smug smile when she realised she had caught her sister off guard, "Oh? I didn't realise you had a friend over, Chae. Mind telling me who she is?"

Once again defeated, Chaeyoung sluggishly gestured between Lisa and Alice, "Alice, this is Lisa. I told you about her once."

_More than once._

"Oh! You're that girl Chaeyoung went on the park date with!"

"It wasn't a date─"

"I hope my sister's not driving you mad, I know how clingy and annoying she can be sometimes. Are you coming over on Christmas?"

"Alice─"

"I'm sure mom would love to meet you, right Chae?" Alice looked at Chaeyoung briefly but it was clear to the girl that it was not a question that needed her input, "You should really stay over on Christmas Eve. We have this tradition of going to the cinema and I'm sure Chaeyoung would love to have you there. We can invite Jennie too... and Sooyoung if we really have to."

Alice squealed in excitement and rushed back out of the room, clearly forgetting the reason she had even came in the first place. Apparently she had just made plans with Lisa to come over on Christmas and join in on their family tradition! With Jennie! Great... just _great._

Don't get Chaeyoung wrong: she would love to have Lisa join them. But with Christmas only a couple days away, this meant she would have to find Lisa a birthday present, _somehow _get Jennie to agree to spend more than five minutes in the same room with her, and convince Sooyoung that Alice and Sohee did not hate her.

Any more surprises that the universe wanted to throw at her? Perhaps a pregnancy scare? That'd _really _confuse her.

"Looks like you're spending Christmas with the Park-Kim household, Lisa." Chaeyoung gave a nervous laugh.

"Looks like it."


	27. A TEST OF FAITH

Nerves wracked Chaeyoung's body as she stood dumbly infront of her wardrobe. She didn't know _why _she was feeling so anxious when it was just a regular old trip to the cinema. With her ex-girlfriend. _And _the girl who's in love with her. _And _the girl _she's _in love with. And, to top it all off, her family.

What had she done to deserve this?

She had tried praying the other night that something would happen in the span of twenty-four hours that would suddenly make it impossible for them to go to the cinema, but so far there was nothing.

Settling on a pair of black jeans and a baggy, peach turtleneck, Chaeyoung slipped the clothes on and found herself checking the time yet again. Half past six. That meant there was half an hour til Lisa was supposed to arrive, and half an hour til all Hell broke loose. Alice had no idea what she was going to unleash by inviting Lisa on this trip.

Chaeyoung had spoken to Jennie yet again the other day, practically begging her just to be nice for two days, and although the older girl had agreed Chaeyoung didn't quite trust her. Sooyoung had been whining every other minute about the fact that she had to go with them, complaining 'she'd been on more than enough family trips to the cinema with the Parks to know they're boring as shit'.

She had quickly quietened down when Chaeyoung had told her that Lisa's presence would make the exact opposite of boring. Although Sooyoung had never met Lisa before, something told Chaeyoung that nothing good would come from the two of them being together.

As Chaeyoung made her way downstairs she could swear her heart seemed like it was about to burst out of her chest. Sooyoung and Jennie's relationship was tense enough, add Jennie and Lisa and you're begging for things to go wrong.

Why couldn't Alice have just shut up for once in her life?

Chaeyoung greeted Jennie when she found her on her phone in the living room, briefly taking note of how flattering the grey blazer jacket looked on her. She looked more like a hot CEO than a girl about to go to the cinema to watch some shitty film, but Chaeyoung couldn't say she was complaining.

Not when her tight black shirt made her waist look like _tha_─

"Hey guys." Sooyoung beamed, obviously not picking up on Chaeyoung's stare as she dropped next to the oldest girl on the sofa. Chaeyoung frowned as she could no longer admire Jennie from the arm chair, and Jennie let out a clear grunt of disinterest at Sooyoung's arrival.

Silence returned to the room, this time thicker and much more awkward than what it had been like with just Jennie and Chaeyoung. Chaeyoung cursed Sooyoung's presence out of pure annoyance, but it was a welcomed reminder that Chaeyoung was just being weird at that point.

It was alright to admire Jennie's body, but the route Chaeyoung was going down would've ended up as more than just admiration. Something she had learned as a lesbian was that girls appreciate people who see them as more than just bodies. They are more than just objects to leer at─ they're people too. They appreciate it when people take interest in things other than just their tits or ass, and sometimes Chaeyoung had to smack herself for becoming the thing she hated most: a creep.

Her annoyance towards Sooyoung quickly faded at the thought, and instead she felt sad. Ashamed, even. She loved Jennie. She knew that. So why was she still acting like some horny teenager? It had been excusable at the start─ pure shock from being so lucky as to receive a hot woman as her roommate─ but now it was just sad and pathetic. It was okay to look, but Chaeyoung hated the fact that she reduced Jennie to only her body sometimes.

Was it because she knew she'd never have her? Jennie had made it clear on several occasions that she was _straight_, no matter what her past relationship with Sooyoung stated. Sometimes sexuality really is just a phase, and that's okay, but it still broke Chaeyoung's heart.

Maybe she was thinking too much. She was supposed to be enjoying herself: it's Christmas Eve!

Time began to blur after Chaeyoung pulled out her phone, and soon she found herself at the front door and welcoming Lisa in. The minute Lisa stepped foot into the living room the tension grew even thicker than Chaeyoung felt possible. It felt physically hard to _breathe_.

Alice greeted Lisa with a smile and a quick hug, casting a frown at Sooyoung who had simply been sat on the sofa. The minute that Lisa's eyes met Sooyoung's, the Thai girl's face lit up with recognition.

"You're that girl from the engagement! And that girl from the horse game!"

Sooyoung paused, clearly puzzled by the sudden declaration, "What?"

"You were there when Seulgi and Joohyun got engaged, and you were there when we played that Derby game. Number thirteen... right?"

The older girl's eyes widened in realisation, "You were there, how didn't I see you? I'm sure I would've noticed someone as pretty as you."

"You looked like you were on a date."

"Nah, that was Yeri. She's like my sister."

Lisa nodded and the two quickly fell into an easy conversation after that, mostly consisting of how annoyed Lisa was that Sooyoung had won in the Derby and then Sooyoung responding back with some cheesy flirting. It didn't look like it would go anywhere, but who was Chaeyoung to ruin their fun?

Another ring of the doorbell brought Chaeyoung away from her eavesdropping and she found herself rushing to the door, wondering who it could be. Her gift for Lisa had arrived the other day, currently all wrapped up under the Christmas tree, so it couldn't be that.

Surprised wasn't even the word to use when Chaeyoung opened the door and found none other than Jisoo standing there, holding a few wrapped Christmas presents.

"Surprise!" The girl yelled, a cheerful grin on her face. She clearly did _not _understand what she was about to get herself in to, "Can I come in or are you just gonna let me stand out here in the freezing cold?"

Chaeyoung wanted to say _no. _She wanted to beg Jisoo to turn around and run for the hills, just to get as far away from the house as possible. Her thoughts and wants were quickly crushed when Jisoo stepped into the house and walked carelessly into the living room.

Jennie's jaw visibly dropped.

"What the absolute _fuck? _Who invited this bitch?"

Sighing, Chaeyoung shut the door and followed Jisoo into the living room. She didn't think it was possible for this situation to get any worse. Her ex, her love, the girl who loved her, the girl her love absolutely _despised_, and her sister who could not wipe the grin off her face.

"Invited me to what?" Jisoo asked curiously as she placed her gifts under the tree, "I just came to drop these by and say hi. Are you going out or something?"

Chaeyoung was about to respond with some half-assed lie but before she could even open her mouth Alice was already blabbing the truth. Jisoo listened with interest but her eyes never left Jennie's, both girls too stubborn to back down from the fierce gaze they were in.

"Sounds cool, I'm coming too."

Somehow the situation had gotten worse.

Somehow.

_Please someone kill me now._

"And who are you?" Alice finally asked after practically begging Jisoo to come.

"Kim Jisoo, your sister's girlfriend."

"We are _not _dating."

And that was how they found themselves in the cinema ordering not three, not five, but _seven _tickets. They were lucky that there were even seven seats next to eachother, but apparently this movie was such utter shit that practically no one was coming to see it.

Sohee seemed oblivious to the tension in the room but Alice was clearly having the time of her life watching the five girls interact. Sooyoung, for the most part, was just trying to vibe with Lisa, but the constant dirty looks Jennie was giving to everything living and breathing was making it hard. Jisoo just seemed like she wanted to use any and every opportunity to flirt with Chaeyoung and hold it over Jennie, and Lisa just looked totally uncomfortable.

Luckily they were going to see a film so not much talking would be needed.

As they walked into the screening room Chaeyoung wondered if she'd somehow been cursed. Only that could cause all of this bad stuff to happen at once. Or perhaps it was God testing her faith? If that was the case then he was certainly making it a hard test.

Chaeyoung somehow found herself as the barricade between Lisa and Jennie, sat awkwardly in the middle of the chaos like Switzerland during World War One. If this was only the first war, she dreaded what the second would be like.

Next to Lisa was Jisoo, and then there was Sohee and Alice. Finally, at the end, was Sooyoung. Part of Chaeyoung felt bad considering that Sooyoung had made it clear that she wanted to sit next to either Lisa or herself but Alice and Sohee had pushed her out.

If Chaeyoung herself could move on then why couldn't they?

She spent the majority of the film annoyed. Mostly annoyed at the thought of Sooyoung being excluded, also annoyed at the constant death glares Jennie was throwing at Jisoo and Lisa, but also annoyed at the film's shitty writing and even shittier actors. God this really _was _a terrible film.

Chaeyoung wasn't the kind of person that was easily angered. Most of the time she was upset it was either over avocados or some ignorant person spouting bullshit for no reason, but she couldn't name a time she'd been so seething.

She felt like an over-boiled pan of water, bubbles exploding furiously as steam practically escaped her ears. Her fury finally became clear when Alice had offered her some popcorn and she had practically bit her ear off.

By the time they left the film Chaeyoung was still clearly annoyed. Her anger had died down slightly after yelling at Alice but she wasn't about to let her sister's treatment of Sooyoung slide. It was immature of Alice to act in such a manner when _Chaeyoung _was the one who had been left heartbroken.

Even Jisoo's sly comments and Jennie's glaring had died down when they had realised how upset she was, which was something Chaeyoung was atleast thankful for. Atleast _some _people were considerate.

The taxi ride home was awkward, something that even the driver had picked up on as he had turned the music up so loud that Chaeyoung's ears had hurt. The minute they arrived at home she practically threw the fare at him and ran into the house, knowing that any minute know the water would finally bubble over the edges and she would burst into tears.

Jennie was worried, to say the least.

She hadn't _ever _seen Chaeyoung so furious in her life. She'd seen her angry after hearing about her argument with Lisa, _annoyed _when she found out there was barely any food in the fridge, but never to this extent.

It scared her. 

Not in the way that she was scared that Chaeyoung would do something to herself or the other, but she was scared that she couldn't handle the anger. Chaeyoung seemed like a generally bubbly girl, never usually upset over anything, and Jennie knew that she wouldn't know how to handle all this rage by herself.

Jennie looked to the others as she stepped out of the taxi, "I'm gonna... we should give her some time. I'll check on her in ten minutes when she's atleast calmed down a bit."

The group nodded and followed Jennie into the house, still quiet. Lisa talked the most out of all of them, not as affected by the events. She had picked up on Jennie's glares during the film but had decided to be the bigger person for Chaeyoung's sake, knowing better than to ruin the night over some argument they had months ago.

Why did Chaeyoung even love someone so cruel?

Lisa sighed at the thought, realising that she was being cruel herself just by thinking that. Chaeyoung had her reasons, Lisa just probably wouldn't understand them. People in love tend to have a different way of thinking about the ones they love than the loveless.

Fifteen minutes later and Jennie was on her way up to Chaeyoung's room with a bowl of instant noodles, thankful that she'd at least gone grocery shopping a few days ago. She knew Chaeyoung well enough to know that food would cheer her up, even if just by a tiny bit.

Knocking on the door hesitantly, Jennie waited until Chaeyoung beckoned her in. There she found the Australian with puffy eyes and tear-streaked cheeks, almost completely buried under the bed covers.

Jennie's heart melted at the sight, wondering what possibly could've happened to upset her so much. The film was bad, but it wasn't _that _bad.

"Chaeyoung? I brought you some noodles."

Chaeyoung shuffled at the word noodles and Jennie relaxed just a bit, happy to know that the girl she cared for was still in there under all that sadness and rage, "Do you maybe want to talk about what happened tonight?"

The Australian grunted as she slowly sat up, holding her hands out for the noodles. Jennie passed them to her and watched with soft eyes as the girl ate them quickly, sucking them up into her mouth like a black hole.

Five minutes and a whole bowl of noodles later, Chaeyoung finally gave a nod to Jennie's question.

"I was just... annoyed, I guess."

Jennie's brows furrowed, "You're gonna have to be more specific than that, Chaeng. Who, or what, annoyed you?"

"You." Jennie recoiled slightly, "But not just you. Jisoo, mom and Alice too. The only people that didn't _actually _annoy me were Sooyoung and Lisa, and also that movie kinda annoyed me too."

Jennie gave a loose laugh as she took a seat at the edge of the bed, "Did I... did I do something to annoy you? Did _we _do something to annoy you?"

"It's just... I don't know why we can't just get along. It sounds like some sappy movie quote, I know, but there's always some tension. With you constantly glaring at Lisa, Jisoo always making these snarky comments about practically everything, and my mom and Alice excluding Sooyoung, it seems like no one actually cares about eachother. I just wanted a nice night but all everyone wanted to do was fight."

She gave a sigh as she finally finished, unable to meet Jennie's eyes by the end of her rant. Partially out of fear, mostly out of not wanting to see the pitying glance she knew she was being given. She didn't _want _Jennie to think she was weak.

"I'm... sorry. I didn't really consider how it'd make you feel and it was," Jennie paused, "childish, I think. I don't really think Jisoo meant to hurt your feelings, she's always been like that, but that's no excuse."

Chaeyoung nodded, "Would you just... would you mind apologising? To Lisa, I mean. I know you probably don't want to but it'd really mean a lot to me if you could."

"I'd do anything you asked of me, Chaeyoung. Just give me a smile, please. I hate seeing you like this, and no matter how much I don't like admitting it I really do care about you."

A small smile grew on Chaeyoung's face at Jennie's words and the older girl made sure not to miss it.

She stood off the bed and gave one last look towards Chaeyoung before making her way back downstairs. She found everyone sat in the living room, watching some boring late-night show. She snatched the remote off the sofa arm and turned the television off, earning a whine from Jisoo.

"How can you just sit there and watch TV after knowing what you've caused?" Jennie snapped, her eyes falling on Jisoo, Sohee and Alice. The three looked like deer in the headlight under her glare and a surge of confidence was felt in her body, "We have ruined a night for Chaeyoung when she just wanted to have fun. You, Alice and Sohee, thought it would be fun to exclude Sooyoung and ignore her every time she tried to speak. It's not funny or helpful, it just makes you unnecessarily horrible."

The two women shrank with every one of Jennie's words, visibly put off by her sharp tongue. Atleast they seemed _somewhat _remorseful as they cast pitying looks at Sooyoung, meanwhile the girl in question seemed to be looking anywhere but the mother-daughter duo.

"And you, Jisoo. Couldn't you give the comments a rest for once in your life? It's Christmas Eve and you're bitching about everything. Even I've upset Chaeyoung with my constant glaring at Lisa and general rudeness, but atleast I could apologise to Chaeyoung. I expect you three to do the same in the morning or else we'll be having even more words, understood?"

The women nodded in union and quickly scurried upstairs, eager to escape Jennie's glare, leaving only Jennie herself aswell as Sooyoung and Lisa. Jennie huffed and took a seat next to the Thai who quickly gave the woman a look as if she'd grown a third head.

"And Lisa... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said all the things I did at the party, especially not the last comment about your friendship with Chaeyoung. You mean alot to her, that's clear to me." Jennie ran her fingers through her hair with an exasperated breath, "I guess I just felt angry that Chaeyoung had been so twisted up about not speaking with you and I didn't understand your feelings at the time. And I'm also sorry for being petty and glaring at you."

Lisa's jaw almost fell open at the apology.

"Well, I'm off to bed." Jennie declared, pushing herself off the couch with a yawn, "Night."

Lisa wanted to stop her, yet before she could Jennie had already disappeared up the stairs. Lisa was left confused, about the apology and wondering where the hell she was meant to be sleeping.

When she asked Sooyoung, the girl simply responded with, "You can always sleep with me," and a not-so innocent wiggle of her eyebrows. Lisa had laughed and made her way to Chaeyoung's room, surprised to find the bed instead occupied by Sohee whilst Alice was sprawled out on the floor.

Apparently Chaeyoung had chosen to sleep with Jennie that night.


	28. DON’T WEAR WHITE

It was something that the two never mentioned when the sun rose the next morning. Sometimes, when either Jennie or Chaeyoung needed comfort, they'd creep into the other girl's bed. They never really spoke about it, other than a soft 'goodnight' or a grunt of acknowledgement, but it happened more often than either would like to admit.

That was why it wasn't strange when Chaeyoung had, out of nowhere, suddenly crawled under the covers of Jennie's bed and burrowed her head into the crook of the girl's neck. Jennie was more than happy to simply lay there and caress Chaeyoung's soft skin as she listened to Chaeyoung's gentle breathing.

However it was strange when suddenly Chaeyoung started to speak.

The questions started out innocent enough, mostly just revolving on asking Jennie how much she'd eaten that day and how she was feeling (Chaeyoung liked to check in), but they soon progressed into some grey area that Jennie had never even known the existence of.

"Do you want kids when you're older?"

Jennie stilled her movements for a moment, looking cautiously down to where Chaeyoung's face was still buried in her neck. She shuddered at the feeling of the younger's girl breath on her sensitive skin as she pondered the question.

She'd never really considered kids. Who would she even have them with? A fleeting thought of Jongin passed through her mind but by, by the time Jennie had went to even consider it, it had already gone. Kids were... annoying? She'd never really had much interaction with babies or toddlers, but she knew that she'd been an absolute nightmare as a child.

Would she really want that?

"I'm... I guess it depends who with. Why? Do you want kids?"

Ignoring the question, Chaeyoung grabbed onto the small amount Jennie had given her and decided to pursue the discussion of children, "Who _would _you have kids with?"

"Uh, I'm not sure. I don't really think about kids or boyfriends─ infact I try to avoid the topic. As much as I love romance novels I can hardly imagine living one."

"What about... just a normal romance? Candle-lit dinners, movie nights on the couch, awkward first times and all of that. Would you not want that?"

Jennie gave a sigh and moved her arm further down Chaeyoung's bare skin, landing on her unclothed lower back. Her warm touches sent goosebumps shooting up Chaeyoung's spine and the younger girl visibly shivered, "If I could find someone that wanted to do it with me, sure, but I don't think anyone really wants a bitch in her mid twenties. Plus I'm too shy to ever flirt with anyone, so it's looking like I'm gonna die alone."

"Hey." Chaeyoung frowned and moved her head. She rolled on her side so that she was facing Jennie, strangely reminded of the conversation they'd shared not too long ago, "Don't be so hard on yourself. I'd date you."

The words came out before Chaeyoung could stop them, but when Jennie's face lit up with a soft smile Chaeyoung was glad she hadn't.

"Thanks Chae. You're a good friend. Now let's go to sleep so we can wake up and open all the presents in the morning, yeah?"

Although Chaeyoung was saddened by the reminder that she was simply a friend she gave a small nod and rolled over so that her back was facing Jennie, not wanting her to see the heartbroken look on her face.

────

As always, Chaeyoung awoke first on Christmas day.

It was like any other day, birds were chirping outside, sunlight peeking through the windows─ except that today she got presents! 

And also that today she woke up practically on top of Jennie Kim. Somehow in her sleep Chaeyoung had manipulated their positions into slinging her leg over Jennie's bare thigh, wrapping an arm tightly around her torso, and nuzzling her face into Jennie's neck. In other words Chaeyoung was the big spoon.

It felt _way _more domestic than Chaeyoung had expected it to, and the reminder than Jennie was straight had crushed her soul once again. Chaeyoung wasn't in the business of trying to turn straight girls, so _why _couldn't she leave Jennie alone?

Jennie's stirring amidst her sleep was the thing that finally made Chaeyoung realise that it was _Christmas. _There was no time to be pondering questions she might never know the answer to when she could be opening presents and spending time with the people she loves!

Gently, Chaeyoung nudged Jennie until the older girl's eyes fluttered open. She found herself captivated by her roommate's stare, momentarily left speechless by the girl. She had never seen her so up-close and natural before and only now did Chaeyoung realise the full extent of her beauty.

She couldn't even begin to describe the flutter in her chest and the flips in her stomach.

"Hey." Jennie rasped out, looking Chaeyoung up and down as she finally realised how close they actually were, "Having fun up there?"

Chaeyoung blushed and quickly rolled off of Jennie. She practically jumped out of the bed with an eager grin on her face, "It's Christmas!"

A sigh escaped Jennie when she realised that Chaeyoung was _not _about to let her sleep in. Begrudgingly, the girl staggered out of bed and gave a long yawn, "Go and wake the others up then and I'll make sure everything's set up."

Grinning, Chaeyoung ran out of the bedroom and entered her own without so much as a knock. Luckily no one was naked, but Alice was _annoyingly _still asleep. Sohee seemed to have woken up earlier than both of her daughters.

"Alice! Wake up!" 

The older Park grumbled as she tossed about on the heap of blankets that she had slept on. After some more nagging from Chaeyoung she had finally decided to get up, black bags heavy under her eyes.

The tension from last night was almost forgotten when Chaeyoung had knocked on the bathroom door─ because _apparently _Jisoo had chosen to sleep in the bath tub. A wide-eyed Jisoo had yanked the door open and pulled Chaeyoung into their room, their faces inches apart.

"What are you doing?" Chaeyoung asked in confusion, throwing a cautious look to where Sohee and Alice were sat talking.

Jisoo grimaced, "Do you have any spare Christmas cards?"

"What? Why?"

"Don't make me say it, Chaeyoung."

Chaeyoung frowned with confusion evident on her face, "I have no clue what on Earth you're talking about."

A sigh escaped Jisoo and her eyes fell to the ground as if she were about to confess to the most embarrassing thing in the world, "Don't mention this to anyone, okay?" Chaeyoung nodded quickly, "I want to give Jennie a Christmas card... sort of a 'sorry I was such a bitch in college'."

"You do realise a Christmas card doesn't make up for outing Jennie's relationship with Sooyoung, right?"

Jisoo stepped back from Chaeyoung and threw her hands up with Chaeyoung, clearly all twisted up about the entire situation. For a moment Chaeyoung felt bad, but Jisoo_ had _outed Jennie so she basically deserved all the hatred she was getting.

"Yeah, I know, but it's the first step. I don't expect us to be best friends and all that shit but I want her to know I'm sorry. A Christmas card and some money is the least I could do."

Shrugging, Chaeyoung momentarily excused herself to shuffle about in her bedside drawer. She had bought all the Christmas cards months ago and she knew she had to have hidden a spare away somewhere.

Finally finding one tucked away at the back of the drawers, Chaeyoung almost laughed when she saw it. It was a card she had been saving to send to her baby cousin but it was the only one she had: she figured that for now Jisoo could use it and she'd run out to get another one later.

The decorations on the card were childish, clearly aimed at a young girl, and the joke on the inside was even worse. All in all, the card was the exact _opposite _of what Jennie would probably like, but Chaeyoung was praying Jisoo would make up for it with a meaningful message on the inside.

She handed the girl the card and waited patiently for her to sign it, finding herself surprised when she was waiting for around five minutes. Chaeyoung cast Jisoo a peek, wondering what the hell she was doing, but pulled her eyes away when she found writing covering every inch of once blank space.

It was none of her business what that card said.

At long last it seemed like everyone was ready. Eager feet ran downstairs and found Jennie and Sooyoung waiting eagerly for them, seemingly in a deep conversation. It brought a smile to Chaeyoung's face to know that Jennie had listened to her words the other night and started going easier on the others.

When the duo realised they had company they immediately stopped their conversation. Sooyoung beamed as she bounced over to the Christmas eagerly. She immediately beckoned for the others to join her and they did─ although Alice _was _moving quite sluggishly.

The group began to pick up presents in their names, thanking one another as they tore the wrapping open. Jisoo didn't have any presents but she was more than happy to watch as they all had the time of their lives. However she _did _accept a couple chocolates from a box that Lisa had been gifted.

Although the presents were few the smiles in the room were many. The animosity from last night had been packed away to be discussed at a later time, and for now everyone was simply happy to be spending Christmas with one another.

"Y'know, if it wasn't for you guys I'd be spending Christmas alone." Lisa confessed shyly, "My mom is in Thailand and my step-dad... well, I don't really consider him worthy of spending time with."

Jisoo nodded in agreement, "Same. The life of a landlord is often a lonely one, but Joohyun and Seulgi were supposed to be coming round today. I guess I'll have to shoot them a text that I'm not there."

Silence, spare the sound of faint overplayed Christmas tunes and the sound of paper tearing, fell upon the group. That was until Lisa opened one particularly large gift from Chaeyoung, a loud gasp escaping her at the sight of the present.

"Chaeyoung... is this real?"

Lisa held up the box and stared at the picture on the front, completely in awe, "Holy shit. I think it is. This is amazing, how did you afford it?"

In the box infront of Lisa was an expensive looking camera, purely from the brand. Chaeyoung didn't know much about cameras, and she certainly didn't have enough money to buy one top of the line, but she had spent hours researching potential brands, the lenses, and the models.

She had finally settled on a Canon EOS 1300D, knowing that─ although it was considered a beginners camera─ it offered a lot compared to other similar priced cameras on the market. Chaeyoung wasn't made of money but she had bought the best camera she could afford.

"I had some money saved and it wasn't serving much purpose just sat in the bank so I used it."

She didn't mention it was the money she had intended for college.

Lisa squealed with excitement and carefully placed the box on the floor, throwing her arms around Chaeyoung in a tight hug. The older girl beamed and returned it eagerly. When Lisa finally seperated from her, the Thai girl thrusted a wrapped gift towards Chaeyoung.

"It's not as expensive as the one you got me but I hope you'll like it."

Chaeyoung grinned and tore the wrapping off the gift, being greeted with a wooden box. She carefully flicked the latches open and lifted the lid, her eyes clouding with tears at the sight of dozens of polaroid pictures of the two of them.

Half of them she hadn't even noticed Lisa taking.

They all had black sharpie writing on the bottom with the dates and an individual word that ranged from 'rain' to 'perfect'. Lisa had somehow managed to capture the feeling in the photo as Chaeyoung found herself in a world of nostalgia, beautiful memories flooding her mind.

Arcade games and carousel rides: strolls in the park and shared ice cream.

"I don't know what to say other than thank you." Chaeyoung stammered as her eyes looked from photo to photo, unable to hold back the tear that fell, "This is perfect. I couldn't ask for a better present."

Jennie frowned slightly but said nothing, not wishing to interrupt the moment. She had thought her initial gift of more fish supplies had been good, but she supposed that her main gift for Chaeyoung was currently hidden away in the attic.

(How Chaeyoung hadn't found it already was beyond her).

In the end everyone was pleased with their gifts. Sohee and Alice had mostly gotten random things from Jennie, Sooyoung and Lisa but they were simply happy to be included, and although Sooyoung had received similar junk she was also content with being accepted by the group.

Jennie had been gifted a few cookbooks from Sooyoung, a friendly smile from Lisa, and a few Chanel perfumes from Chaeyoung along with another stuffed dog. However her favourite gift had been the card from Jisoo that she had absolutely _forbade _anyone else from looking at, but Chaeyoung was definitely curious considering that it had actually made Jennie cry and wrap Jisoo in a hug.

The feeling was mutual with Lisa, especially when she had seen that Jennie had gotten her a present despite the tension between the two of them. It was only a book on the Korean language but for Lisa it was more than enough. The camera from Chaeyoung remained her definite favourite but she had loved all her gifts.

Noon rolled around and moods remained high as the women shared champagne and old Christmas stories. Sohee had made a particular point of sharing some embarrassing pictures of Chaeyoung with the rest of the girls but Jennie had only laughed and called her cute, which had somewhat made Chaeyoung thankful towards her mother.

The Christmas songs that were once faint in the background were now at full blast, everyone clearly tipsy despite the fact it was only four pm. Lisa and Sooyoung were flailing their arms and legs in an attempt to dance to the music and Chaeyoung could only laugh as she watched Sooyoung wrap tinsel around the Thai, pulling her in close and beginning to slow dance with her.

Perhaps there was something between the two of them, or maybe it was just Chaeyoung's slightly altered perception. She should slow down on the champagne, especially considering she hadn't failed to notice the several bottles of vodka and gin that Jennie had stuffed into the back fridge.

Sohee was spending most of her time in the kitchen, cooking the Christmas dinner, with Alice, but every now and then Sooyoung slipped away to help. Chaeyoung smiled at the fact that something had changed between the three of them; she had a feeling she should thank Jennie for that.

Jisoo, for the most part, was relaxing on the sofa with her champagne flute as she watched some Christmas special of a soap. Sometimes she would get up and dance to a song or two, preferring to alternate between shimmying with Lisa and simply rocking from side to side as she made conversation with Jennie. It was obvious that whatever Jisoo had written had worked.

Finally, around an hour after the dancing started, Jennie had convinced Chaeyoung to join in. Before then she had simply been content to relax with Jisoo, happy that for once the girl was taking a break from her flirting and was allowing herself to de-tense and relax, but after a lot of teasing from Jennie, some drunken motivation from Lisa and Sooyoung, and a small smile of assurance from Jisoo, Chaeyoung had allowed herself to get up and dance.

Jennie offered Chaeyoung a hand and pulled the girl into her, stumbling slightly at the sudden impact. It seemed Jennie was a bit drunk too.

Sooyoung gasped and shook Lisa roughly, pointing to where Jennie and Chaeyoung were stood. Chaeyoung looked around in confusion at the excited expressions of the girls, her heart dropping when she noticed what exactly Jisoo was staring up.

Hesitantly, as if she already knew what she'd see, Chaeyoung craned her neck up. Mistletoe. Somehow, as if God himself had manufactured this single moment, the green leaves hung dauntingly above them.

Jennie's gaze followed Chaeyoung's and the older girl gulped as her eyes fell back down to the woman in front of her. Chaeyoung returned her focus to Jennie, seeing some unknown emotion on her friend's face, and her heart did somersaults in her chest. 

They had to kiss. It would be rude not to. The mistletoe was something sacred in tradition. Chaeyoung couldn't just go against that... right?

"Do you─ do you mind?"

"Law of the mistletoe, right?" Jennie let out a hollow chuckle, "you can... go ahead. I don't bite."

Chaeyoung gave a shaky nod and watched as Jennie's eyes fluttered close. She looked so serene as Chaeyoung began to move closer, as if she didn't have a single worry in the world. In other words, the exact _opposite _of how Chaeyoung was feeling.

She was about to kiss the woman she loved.

If the circumstances were different Chaeyoung would be absolutely _thrilled, _but it seems like she really had been cursed. To kiss the lips of the woman who had stolen her heart whilst her love did not feel the same?

Nonetheless, a kiss was a kiss. Chaeyoung would hold onto this moment until her last breath, replaying the fire in her stomach and the rollercoaster her heart was on as she wondered 'what if' and what they could've been if she'd simply stated how she felt.

Chaeyoung's eyes fell shut and finally, centimetres away from Jennie's lips, she realised this was the moment. She could feel the heat of Jennie's anticipation against her face, smell the lingering scent of champagne on her breath, hear the uneven gasps─ hear the _doorbell _chime.

She pulled away and Jennie's eyes flew open, staring at Chaeyoung as if they weren't just about to kiss, "I'll get that."

A loud sigh escaped Sooyoung as Jennie practically ran to answer the door. Her gaze was hard as she looked at Chaeyoung, making the older girl wonder what exactly she had done. A kiss could've complicated things even more than unspoken, unrequited feelings and undiscussed bed-sharing, had the doorbell ringing not been a sign that this was simply not meant to be?

Why were all the signs so misleading?

One minute the universe was practically begging her to spill her feelings, the next it was begging for her to kiss Jennie, and now it wanted to rip Chaeyoung away from her like nothing was between the two.

Chaeyoung could only grumble a greeting at the sight of Joohyun and Seulgi. If she had not been a second away from kissing Jennie she would've been excited to see them considering she actually liked the couple, but all they had done was interrupt her one moment in life to do something _right_.

"Merry Christmas!" Seulgi exclaimed, raising her arm that was carrying a large bag of gifts, "We bought pressies for you guys! Except you Lisa, sorry."

Lisa mumbled an 'it's fine' as she turned the obnoxiously loud music down.

"But before we get into those, these are for you guys─ except Lisa, sorry once again." Seulgi reached into her pocket and grabbed four white envelopes, handing them one by one to everyone in the room except Lisa.

Jennie examined the envelope with a small frown on her face, "Are these some shitty hand-made Christmas cards like last year?"

A grimace escaped Joohyun at the memory as she remembered the disaster that had been last year's Christmas. Seulgi and Joohyun had invited Wendy and Jennie over for a small get together, only to end up with several smashed ornaments, an inedible Christmas dinner and a small kitchen fire, "No, thank God. Just open them."

Eager as ever, Sooyoung was the first to open her envelope. She gave a loud gasp and an excited scream, looking between the engaged couple, "You're getting married in America? And _we _get to come?"

She screamed once again and pulled Joohyun into a crushing hug, towering over the older woman. Joohyun's regular scowl fell as she returned the hug, only less tight than Sooyoung's iron grip.

"Feel free to bring plus ones, but only if you're close with them."

Jennie, finally managing to claw open her envelope, paused as she read the invitation, "You want _me _to be a bridesmaid? I can't even pay rent on time, tell her Jisoo!"

Jisoo nodded hastily with agreement, "And me too! I can't even remind her to pay rent on time."

Jennie returned the nod and looked to the couple, wondering if they were really trusting them to play such a big role in the wedding. It wasn't as big as Maid of Honour─ luckily those jobs had been given to Wendy, from Seulgi, and to Sooyoung, from Joohyun─ but it was still a big task nonetheless.

"Well you better fix that before we go dress-shopping! I'll add all my bridesmaids to a groupchat soon, and Seulgi will do the same, so hopefully you'll have got your shit together by then."

Chaeyoung was just thankful she didn't have such a big role to play in the grand scheme of things. She wasn't exactly sure how she was supposed to dress, either, but she supposed a knee-length cream dress would do the trick.

"Oh, and Chaeyoung? _Don't _wear white."

Chaeyoung gave a sigh and a nod, back to square one with the clothing. She was _truly _clueless.


	29. FAMILY

"If this is what marriage is gonna be like... then I don't want it."

The brides-to-be and their bridesmaids were currently all sat around a pub table, having planned on going out for a few drinks and a meal to celebrate the news. The wedding wouldn't be for another four or so months but in the world of weddings it was lucky to find a venue available that early.

Joohyun and Seulgi had come to a mutual agreement about having the actual ceremony in a beautiful church, something that their religious parents would actually like about the wedding considering they didn't like the fact their daughters were gay, but it would also please the brides themselves considering it was nothing less than stunning.

What they were currently squabbling about was whether or not they needed a honeymoon. Seulgi wanted to go to somewhere romantic, like Paris, yet Joohyun argued that they didn't need a honeymoon considering they were already flying out the continent for their wedding in Maine.

The women watched as the two continued to debate whether or not a honeymoon was needed, infact Jennie was certain she saw Wendy and Sooyoung taking notes for their maid of honour speeches. The other girls didn't really pay them much mind to be honest but Jennie still snuck in a comment or two to Nayeon every now and then, another one of Seulgi's bridesmaids.

That was the difference between the two groups.

Joohyun's friends were slightly more reserved than Seulgi's, just like Joohyun herself. That wasn't to say they weren't cheerful and funny, Dahyun probably the most out of herself, Sooyoung and Jihyo, but Wendy's voice alone could overpower the three of them, nevermind adding Jennie and Nayeon to the mix.

Seulgi's group was... a bit more Seulgi. They might seem intimidating at first glance but if they like you then you're destined to be good friends. They all had infectious personalities and had bonded over the little things, like music taste and the things that annoyed them most.

However both groups together got on well, Seulgi's filling the silence and Joohyun's bringing in the more introspective conversations. Eventually Nayeon and Jennie found themselves discussing the latest animal crossing game and how they were progressing so far.

"I'm just saying, I've had Harry with me since day one, so don't even get me started on how fucking ugly my villagers are. Seriously, everytime I see him I want to reset my game and start again. Hopefully he'll move out soon."

Jennie looked at her with bewilderment, "Well why didn't you do that when you started?"

Nayeon could only shrug as she downed the remainder of her pint, "I got peaches. Didn't wanna risk the fate of any other fruit─ oh for fuck's sake. Look at them."

Casting a glance to where Nayeon was pointing, Jennie shuddered when she caught sight of Joohyun and Seulgi in the middle of making out. Nayeon banged her empty pint glass on the table and the two split apart immediately, "How did you go from arguing to sucking face in the space of a minute?"

"I'm very good at this whole relationship thing." Joohyun smirked.

Wendy rolled her eyes and turned to face Jennie and Nayeon, "So what are our plans for New Year's Eve? Are we gonna have a party or are you guys gonna cancel last minute like last year?"

"First of all, it wasn't last minute: we gave you a day's notice. And secondly my cramps were really bad last year. I could barely get out of bed."

"Excuses and even more excuses."

Dahyun cleared her throat and smiled wryly, "We should have the party at Joohyun and Seulgi's, you know their place is chic as shit. My apartment looks like a cardboard box compared to theirs."

That finally got the couple's attention and pulled them out of their own worlds (which for the most part revolved around eachother). Joohyun frowned and threw an arm over her fiancee's shoulder, "And why should we do that?"

"Because you're rich, duh."

"You literally almost burnt our house down last Christmas."

"Fair point. Let's go to Nayeon's instead."

Nayeon's jaw dropped and she placed her glass on the table, "Girl you know Bobby moved in, he's a neat freak. It'll never happen. And plus why are you the one deciding where we should go? I think we should have the party at your house, Dahyun."

"All in agreement say 'I'." Jihyo chimed, silencing Dahyun before she could protest.

The table let out a chorus of I's and Dahyun gave an unamused huff. Jennie giggled and nudged her playfully, attempting to reassure her friend that it would be fun and that they'd try to keep the house as orderly as possible.

A few more hours of drinking and fun and eventually a few of the girls decided to call it a night. As Nayeon was slipping her jacket on she turned to Jennie and asked, "Do you mind if I walk you home?"

Jennie shrugged, knowing it would be safe and easy considering Nayeon herself didn't live too far away. Sooyoung had decided to stay back alongside Wendy and the brides to be to discuss wedding matters (aka get even drunker and trash talk a few of the guests that were unfortunately coming).

Nayeon and Jennie said their goodbyes and stepped into the brisk Winter air of Seoul. Their teeth chattered as they made their way down the street to where their apartments were located, making small talk and continuing their prior conversation about animal crossing until there was nothing left to say.

That would never normally happen.

"Are you okay?"

Craning her neck, Jennie eyed Nayeon with slight confusion. Had she done something to make Nayeon think she wasn't okay? Instead she settled for a shrug; Jennie didn't know the true answer, anyway.

"You've just been a bit distant today. Like, you've been talking, but you don't seem to be fully there."

Jennie deflated with a heavy sigh, realising exactly what Nayeon meant. She'd, admittedly, been a bit preoccupied. She wasn't sure exactly what it was about or why but her mind kept drifting away to anything and everything. Thoughts about work, money troubles, Chaeyoung and Jisoo had been in her mind ever since Christmas.

She was back to work at the cafe tomorrow, working her shift alongside Jongin and a few others. It was hard to explain the numbness she felt whenever working her job, as if she were complete. She supposes she was incomplete. Nearing thirty and working at a cafe, no significant other─ perhaps she should download tinder?─ and living in a small apartment with two roommates and no prospects of ever getting her own house.

Maybe that's for the best considering how lonely she gets: she probably couldn't survive without anyone to look out for her. She had barely managed to survive before Chaeyoung arrived, her meals consisting mainly of takeout and stale cereal.

Since Chaeyoung (and admittedly Sooyoung as well) had waltzed into her life all those months ago she'd finally started making a change. She left the rooms less messy and eventually started going out the house more often, whether it be for groceries or to hang out with her friends. Sooyoung's arrival had helped even more as she actually knew how to cook and had decided to teach Jennie.

Better late than never, she guesses.

"It's nothing, just got some stuff on my mind."

Jennie looks up and realises that she can still see a light in her apartment window. She momentarily wonders why someone would be awake before remembering that its Alice and Sohee's last night in South Korea before their flight back to Australia tomorrow afternoon.

"Night, Nayeon." Jennie waves Nayeon goodbye and unlocks the front door to the apartment, a heavenly smell greeting her the moment she steps inside. It seems the family (probably only Alice and Sohee) had made a late dinner consisting of all sorts of delicious food.

Shrugging her coat off, Jennie staggers into the kitchen and practically drools when she spots a rack of barbecue ribs alongside other plates of exquisite food. Sohee greets her with a warm smile, "You're just in time for dinner." She places a bowl of salad on a heat mat and leans in close to Jennie, "We were meant to eat earlier but Chaeyoung refused to unless you were home first."

She pulled away and returned to preparing the meal, leaving a small smile on Jennie's face. Since Chaeyoung's arrival the girl had become a constant in her life. Despite their rocky start she had listened to her and forgiven her for all the hell Jennie put her through.

Jennie looks over in the kitchen to find Chaeyoung sat at the breakfast bar setting up knives and forks. Perhaps they should invest in a proper dining table. One that might be able to fit a family.

She watches as Sohee starts bringing plates of food to the table and decides to help. Jennie grabs a bowl of noodles and four plates and begins to set them out. Alice also lends a hand until eventually the breakfast bar is absolutely cluttered with food.

Sohee says a prayer, keeping it quick for Jennie's sake, before they all dive in. The food is divine and the meat practically melts in her mouth; Jennie swears she can feel its warmth in her stomach. Or maybe that's just what being surrounded by family (although they're not her own) feels like.

They make casual conversation over dinner and Jennie's honestly surprised at how clear her mind is after a night of drinking and several days of restless thoughts. When she catches Chaeyoung watching her she gives a slight grin and watches with amusement as the girl's cheeks light up like fireworks.

Yeah. She could get used to this.


End file.
